Numsa vows massive strike 'to protect workers' rights'
The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa) is threatening a massive, nationwide strike in April.
Numsa is unhappy over changes made to the labour law saying it will severely limit workers' right to strike.
The union's Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says the right to strike is enshrined in the Constitution.
"On the 1st of May this year the state intends to implement a raft of new changes to the labour laws. One of the changes is the state intends to impose secret ballots as a condition before we can go on strike. The balloting process is complicated, costly and cumbersome, if implemented it will make it impossible for workers to go on strike."
Hlubi says the union handed over a memorandum of demands to the labour department on Wednesday to ensure workers' rights are protected.
"Some of the demands include restoring the right of workers to strike over things like unfair dismissals, bosses must not be able to use scab labour during protected strikes, they use these tools to undermine our strike and unions must organise the majority of workers in a sector before bargaining council agreements can be extended to non-unionized workers in the sector."
The union has accused government of failing to consult the majority of workers and only discussing the changes with Cosatu-affiliated unions.
The Department of Labour couldn't be reached for comment.