While congress preparation has been the focus of the union over the last few months, the equally important job of training administrative staff to improve their servicing of Numsa members has continued.

In mid-August, administrators from the Ekurhuleni and Wits Central West regions held a joint workshop on the Skills Development Act (SDA) and the Employment Equity Act (EEA).

“We gained a lot on EEA and we learnt a lot about the different sectoral training authorities (Setas) and where to get learnerships so that we can assist shop stewards as well as communities,” said Lerato Mabaso, administrator from the Johannesburg South local.

And the common cry from administrators – “we want more like this.”