"I don't know if members listen to Katorus Radio, but they soon will!" says a confident, Rolly Xipu, Numsa Springs Local organiser and one of Numsa's new team of radio DJs.

From the end of April till the end of November, Xipu will join other Numsa DJs, Eric Mabontshisi Linda, Joseph Leeuw, Aubrey Siyengo, Meshack Mbokela, Ndoda Mdyogolo, Simon Pule, Bonga Ngwane and Goodman Wayile and other labour DJs from Cosatu, Nactu and Fedusa affiliates.

Each labour DJ will co-host with a full-time community radio station DJ, a 1-hour labour slot to be beamed out on community radio stations across the country. Cape Town based Workers' World, will provide a 15-minute CD each week with labour news and basic information on a particular topic that radio stations can use as a basis to playback on their stations.

It is then up to the radio and labour hosts to bring in some local experts on the topic and to invite listeners to phone in and share their views. For long-time radio DJ, Tebogo Leeuw, a Numsa organiser from Kimberley local and a labour co-host at Kimberley 's Teemaneng community radio station, it will be his second bout of co-hosting.

"Take this issue very seriously," he advises fellow co-hosts. "It's a different way to get to our members, you interview a lot of different people and you learn a lot from the people that you interview." And labour DJs mustn't think that they can hide away from their members! "We've had lots of calls from motor members," says Leeuw.

Many of them have phoned in to ask about the Motor Main Agreement, to question why there is no overtime pay for petrol attendants on Sundays and to ask why those working in small towns outside Kimberley earn less than those in Kimberley .

See the box below for details of community radio stations, where they are based and their frequencies. If you have news from your workplace that you want broadcast on all radio stations, then phone 021-447 6845 or if shop stewards want details of their meetings or report backs to be broadcast, then they should contact their local community radio station.

Source

Numsa News