Challenges facing trade unions are becoming “more than mountainous”, Fieldmore Mapeto, Numsa’s Eastern Cape regional education officer told workers at Volkswagen SA’s (VWSA) first quarterly meeting in February.Analysing the VWSA managing director Andreas Tostmann’s keynote address on that day, Mapeto noted that industrialists aim for zero tolerance to achieve their goals.

Tostmann spoke of huge cost cutting measures due to the increase in inflation and growing competitiveness. The VWSA chief urged workers that “together as one VWSA family, we can go it alone”. Mapeto said this seemed to imply that there is “no need for trade unions”.

The company planned to pay for Saturday production at normal rates, while Sundays would be paid as time and a half. If workers refused, the company would shift new export deals to other countries like Czechoslovakia and Portugal where this is already the norm.

It will also introduce a new paintshop using German technology and engineering of the highest standards. This will reduce labour.

On black economic empowerment, Mapeto revealed how the company is dangling a bunch of carrots over workers’ heads so as to buy them at a price.

While the company claims to be transformative, recently another white director took office. “Why is there no black guy to hold such an office?” Mapeto asked. The MD was silent on how the company will train blacks to fill those posts.

Outsourcing and privatisation are two identical twins of wickedness. They aim to harm union growth and stability. The company refuses to take responsibility for what emanates thereafter. This so-called redistribution of ownership mainly favours whites, and all this involves cutting costs. Mapeto cautioned that this was a growing global trend to attack unions of the strong.

Mapeto highlighted what the MD had said on the new Truck and Bus Company. The venture would create no new jobs.

Instead VWSA would go for suppliers to perform each of the tasks. Labour brokers will dawn in workers’ lives and introduce contract labour on their own terms.

Mapeto warned workers to ask themselves where they stood on all these issues. He said they should be ready to mobilise the entire workforce, black and white, including contract workers, otherwise famine and starvation would be on the horizon for Uitenhage.