Numsa welcomes Minister of Public Enterprises intervention at Medupi
21 February 2013
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) welcomes the intervention by the Minister of Public Enterprises comrade Malusi Gigaba, in relation to the closure of operations at Medupi as a result of workers genuine and legitimate grievances.
Yesterday Wednesday 20 February 2013, the Numsa President Cedric Gina and National Treasurer Mphumzi Maqungo, formed part of a meeting convened by the Minister of Public Enterprises, and which included representatives of Eskom and all contractors, with the sole intention of soliciting a composite agreement geared towards resolving the month long industrial dispute.
Numsa approached the engagements with high levels of soberness and political maturity in the interest of our members and their legitimate and genuine demands to be addressed urgently.
Numsa together with its members in Medupi has all along maintained that workers shall not return by signing a peace agreement and final warnings. Any settlement therefore must exclude these conditions by employers.
The Numsa National Office Bearers (NOB’s) will on Saturday 23rd February 2013, in the Marapong Stadium in Lephalale convene a mass General Meeting with our members at Medupi.
The core mandate of the meeting will be to share with our members the deliberations the leadership has had with all the affected parties under the stewardship of the Minister of Public Enterprises.
The leadership will be presenting the outcomes and proposed settlement in lieu of the fact the strike was not called by the leadership, but by the workers. The details on the way-forward on the strike will only be communicated publicly once our members have been privy to the broad thrust and substance of the engagements with the Minister.
We call on our members at Medupi to attend a mass General Meeting that will be held this coming Saturday 23 February 2013. This exercise is a true expression of worker-control and people’s power in action.
Contact:
Castro Ngobese, National Spokesperson – 081 011 1137