SACP gives government 4 days for ArcelorMittal intervention
The South African Communist Party has issued a four-day ultimatum to the Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition to intervene in the impending job losses at ArcelorMittal.
During a peaceful picket at the department's offices in Pretoria on Friday, the SACP submitted a memorandum of demands, calling for urgent action.
More than 3,000 jobs in Vereeniging and Newcastle are at risk as the steel company moves forward with retrenchments, which it ascribes to financial challenges.
The SACP has called for the nationalisation of ArcelorMittal, arguing that privatising state-owned enterprises has led to failure.
"If you see ArcelorMittal closing, it will indicate the failure of privatisation. ArcelorMittal was ESCO, a state-owned enterprise, then in 1989 it was then privatised. This is a dismal failure of capitalism," said SACP central committee member Phumzile Mnguni.
Joined by the ANC and COSATU, the party reiterated its demand for government intervention to prevent job losses.
Accepting the memorandum on behalf of the DTIC, Acting Deputy Director-General Dr. Tebogo Makube assured the protesters that the concerns raised would be addressed and conveyed to the minister.
"We are in anyway dealing with this matter, as the government we will try to avert the situation from happening and we are committing ourselves to that," she said.
Despite ArcelorMittal delaying retrenchments by a month, unions and political allies insist that a postponement is not a solution, urging the government to secure long-term job protection.
"Postponement is not withdrawal and we are very conscious of the process itself," said COSATU Deputy Chairperson Tshwane Cluster Themba Masuku.
According to ArcelorMittal’s Tami Didiza, the extension is backed by a R380 million shareholder loan from the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to fulfill outstanding orders, while discussions with the government on the future of the long steel division continue.
The SACP has vowed to escalate protests if their demands are not met within the given deadline.
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