Workers at Formscaff nationally, belonging to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) have down tools and they are embarking on a protected strike since Monday 25 August 2014.
The strike action is due to the fact that the employer in the scaffolding industry has arrogantly failed to meet our demands. The Union (Numsa) as mandated by its members has taken a decision to exercise its only power at its disposal to embark on an indefinite strike action.
We are fully aware of the socio-economic burden the strike action will impose on our members, since the bourgeois principle of No Work No Pay will be lifted, and might be used by the greedy Bosses to weaken and fragment our genuine demands for a Living Wage and improved conditions of employment. We are emboldened by resolve of our members to use this strike as a tactical tool to force the Bosses to return to the negotiating table.
These are some of our core demands; (1) 15% wage increase across the board; and R20 minimum wage, whichever is greater; (2) 40 hrs working per week without any loss of pay; (3) 1 year Bargaining Agreement; (3) 75% employer contribution towards medical aid; (4) No implementation of the Employment Tax Incentive Scheme in the company/sector.
Our demands should be understood or located within the ideological fog being spread by politicians that we have a “Good Story to Tell”, since the dawn of democracy. In reality it has not only been a bad to story to tell by workers, but it has been a disastrous two decades given the fact that workers continue to be subjected to colonial apartheid poverty wagers, living in squalid and dehumanizing conditions.
Our members organised in this company live in shacks and informal settlements, their wages are insufficient to afford decent housing and other important basic necessities. The bosses are only interested in extracting huge profits from our labour. Our lowest paid members earn a paltry R2 640 per month while it is common cause that this contracting company is reaping millions of rands from the construction companies.
We are willing to unleash all our organisational power by halting production, in order for the bosses to concede to our demands. We are forever ready to engage provided an offer is placed on the table. It has never been our intention to embark on an indefinite strike, but it has been imposed on us by the bosses, and we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed by anyone – we will forge ahead with this strike until our demands are fully met by the bosses.
Contact:
Vusi Mabho,
National Sector Co-ordinator: 0834503892