RECRUITMENT

Thembisa Local recruits young workers

The economic meltdown is still squeezing us, but Thembisa local has managed to recruit 350 new members, including young workers who often don’t see trade unions as important to their job. Joey Mogapi spoke to some of them to find out why they joined.

A group of young and old workers from an engineering factory told me that “As much as employers have their association, we also must have our union so that they must not do as they want with our lives.

We need to be protected so whenever workers have a case, there is someone to go to for help.”“We hope Numsa will come through to stop this underpayment thing that is going on in our factory; we have families just like them. We found people being underpaid in this company and it is still going on.

Please stop this now Numsa,” they said.Joyous TN whispered to me in private and said the union really came to his rescue because he never had some of the essential things like funeral cover. He believes the union will help him to study further because he doesn’t have much education.

Our new comrades reminded me of way back in October 2007, when six workers including myself were put on unlawful short-time and my employer put a ball in my court and said, “Joey you have your Numsa and I have my Seesa (employer association).

You have a right to do what you like”. It is therefore good that every worker, particularly those in the metal industry, join Numsa because it has been mostly hit by this economic slump.These new servicemen and women rely on this trade union and the local.

We hope that when their workplace challenges are brought to the local’s attention, that the local will help them out. It is our Numsa, we young comrades found it here with a common goal and we have to unite and work for it and it will work for us and the coming generation. When I was very young I heard people saying 'Aluta Continua!’ Let it Continua…….

A call from the President to recruit the unorganisedThis capitalist crisis has visited us for over two years now. We all do not know when the end is.

We note the lies by business that the turnaround in the economy will begin next year. We see this as the capitalist’s psychological warfare to present themselves as people who know what is happening.

They do not know because if they knew, they would have prevented the crisis. We look forward to government’s intervention in the economy through massive infrastructure spend that must ensure prioritization of local procurement.

I call on you to be interested in knowing where your municipality and company source their goods. The private sector and government at all levels must be made to procure locally.

The process of concluding commitments and agreements on South Africa’s response to the global financial crisis is taking longer than expected.
There is some progress that is being registered but it is not enough to allay the worst fears of our people.This crisis has badly affected our membership through retrenchments. The recruitment campaign managed to recruit more than 7000 new members.

But recruitment must continue. There are so many unorganized metalworkers in our country. Just imagine how many members we could have if all our 5000 shop stewards can recruit one member per week into the union.Cedric Gina, Numsa president

SURPLUS PAYOUTS* ENGINEERING SURPLUS – Now is the time to give your details to the Metal Industries Benefit Fund. They can only start paying out the surplus once many more people have signed and sent forms. MIBFA contact details: Phone number: 0861 50 44 55Fax number: 011 227-0399E-mail address: surplus@mibfa.co.za

* MOTOR SURPLUS – The fund is already paying out. If you think that you are entitled to a surplus from the motor funds, contact your nearest Numsa office or MIFA on 011-561 9300.

* DUNLOP AFRICA PENSION AND PROVIDENT FUND SURPLUSThis fund is also paying out its surplus. Shakes Mokoena reports on the details.- PENSION FUND:The fund has been paying out the surplus for the last year.

The total of members that were entitled to a surplus were 2560. The total members that have been paid by cheque or EFT (Deposit money to bank) is 2044.The balance of the 516 members need to come forward to claim their money or the beneficiaries need to come and claim. We have other cheques for members that need to collect them in Durban or Ladysmith.

On behalf of the committee I would like to thank Bonga Ngwane for the role he played in finalising this process before he left Numsa and also the late Bombshell Khumalo – may his soul rest in peace.

– PROVIDENT FUNDWe have started the process of paying members at the main plant in Durban and Ladysmith. All the branches who were the members of the Dunlop Africa Provident Fund between 30/08/1986 and 01/11/2004 must come forward so that we can pay them out.For more information call: Thulani Mbonane – 0724281645 Durban; Shakes Mokoena – 0731573081 Ladysmith

Source

Numsa News