Unions to meet steel industry bosses over looming job cuts
“Our economy is already bleeding and thousands of jobs are being lost on [a] daily basis, mostly squeezing the working class and the poor,” the union said.
”The bilateral meeting will allow parties to develop an integrated response to the impending job bloodbath in the [steel] industry and discuss the factors behind the crisis, strategies to be explored in lobbying for necessary intervention by government to save this sector from total collapse.”
The CEOs of steel producing companies such as Arcelor Mittal, Evraz Highveld Steel, Scaw Metals Group and Macsteel would be the meeting.
The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) and two other unions, Solidarity and the United Association of SA UASA would also attend the talks.
Several metal and steel companies had issued workers with Section 189 notices in the past several weeks as the industry struggles to survive the tough market conditions, largely blamed on cheap steel imports from China.
Last month, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) called on mine and steel companies to halt planned to job cuts.
The party called upon the two industries to review their decision, as it would deepen the crisis in the South African economy.
The meeting would take place at Numsa’s head office in Johannesburg.
ANA