Numsa resolved the following at its Job Security Conference held from 12-14 March 2009:

1. Stimulus Package, Bailout and Bailout Conditions NUMSA agrees with the stimulus package to save jobs. Such a package should a) ensure maximum local content b) ensure provincial governments receive equitable shares

2. Companies in distress must be bailed out by the state: a) The state to make available credit guarantees, low interest loans, and emergency bridging loans to companiesb) The state should not pay for industry inefficiencies

3. Bailout conditions: Any company that is a beneficiary to a stimulus package or a bailout must comply with these conditions:a) Moratorium on retrenchments b) Business and labour must jointly approach governmentc) Information disclosure d) Information agency to investigate if companies deserve e) Maximize local contentf) Report quarterly on business progressg) Bailout must not be not be used for CEO bonuses POLICY PROPOSITIONS

1. FISCAL + MONETARY POLICY: 1. Review of monetary policy, especially high interest rates and inflation targeting.2. Current liberal exchange controls should be tightened up and financial institutions better regulated. 2. INDUSTRIAL POLICY:1. Scrap discriminatory pricing that undermines growth of downstream industries.2. Increase local content to 75%.3. Increase local production and reduce reliance on foreign direct investment (FDI) 4. Funding for R&D from govt

3. TRADE POLICY: 1. review and revise tariffs to protect industry and increase tariffs to maximum possible under WTO2. Intensify our buy local campaign:3. Push provincial and local state to buy goods and services locally4. All shop steward councils to engage their employers and encourage them to source their supplies locally5. Engage parastatals and SOEs to comply with "buy local" around procurement

4. AUTO SECTOR PROPOSALS:Review incentives of APDP (the new MIDP) and the support provided in terms of MIDP /APDP. Any support:1. Must guarantee decent jobs, cannot use contract, casual workers, nor labour brokers2. Must not use suppliers who use labour brokers 3. Must keep production in SA4. Must keep volumes high and reduce imports5. Must improve public transport6. Structural adjustment funds from government to ensure job security 7. Must end importation of luxury vehicles8. Must ensure that 70% of all components and inputs to cars produced under MIDP/APDP are locally produced9. Renewal of government fleet of vehicles with cleaner vehicles10. Companies that bring in fully built-up vehicles should be penalized

5. SHORT-TIME, LAYOFFS, RETRENCHMENTS: 1. Full wages guaranteed by government – source funds from Setas as well as government injection2. Government and Setas to fund training for those on lay-off and short-time and that funding to be used for training on hard core skills3. Training for retrenched workers especially on ABET, etc4. Accelerate recognition of prior learning (RPL) for all workers and train to become artisans

6. COPING WITH THE CRISIS1. Keep people in their homes by demanding a moratorium on foreclosures (evictions), renegotiate their bonds, increase government rental housing 2. Negotiate indigent policies for retrenched workers. 3. Call for facilitation from NPI once notice given on short-time 4. Workers on lay-off to be absorbed into expanded public works programmes (EPWPs) 5. Work Security Fund to be established across all sectors

Source

Numsa News