The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will be holding a National Bargaining Conference (NBC) from 10 March 2014 –ending- 12 March 2014, at the Saint Georges Hotel and Conference Centre, Irene, City of Tshwane, Gauteng province. 

The NBC will be attended by more than two hundred and fifty (250) worker-delegates representing a combined membership of above 200 000 in the Engineering sector, and Eskom. NBC will be held under the strategic theme or call to action “Decent Work and Living Wage Now”. 
The NBC is taking place at the backdrop of repeated ideological fog by the political elites “we have a good story to tell”, whilst we are confronted with scandalous triple crisis of poverty, unemployment and inequality, mostly affecting the working class and the poor; false solutions to the crisis of youth unemployment being imposed, as a result of the anti-working class and wrong economic policy choices by fading ANC-led government; escalating daily service delivery protests by poor communities, mainly led by working class youth, and continued offensive to weaken, fragment Cosatu, and a well-calculated political strategy to isolate and destroy COSATU General Secretary comrade Zwelinzima Vavi. 
The main content or key objective of the NBC is to consolidate workers’ collective bargaining demands in this strategic layer of our economy – Engineering sector and Eskom. The consolidated bargaining demands will be underpinned by COSATU’s long-standing struggle to fight for a Living Wage, as part of dealing with the colonial- apartheid wage disparities; we inherited from our apartheid legacy and past. 
As customary the NBC will be officially opened by Numsa President comrade ANDREW CHIRWA, and it will also be addressed by Numsa Deputy General Secretary comrade KARL CLOETE. Fraternal organisations or other COSATU-affiliated unions have been invited and shall be in attendance.  
Members of the media are welcome to attend all the Open/Plenary Sessions, not the Closed Commissions. For purposes of smooth operations and logistical arrangements we request members of the media to apply in advance. 
Please apply by replying to this email (castro.ngobese@gmail.com / castron@numsa.org.za), with your name, publication or station and contact details. The closing date for media application or accreditation is Sunday 09 March 2014, at 12H00 
The details are as follows:  
DATE: 10 –until- 12 March 2014
TIME: 09H30am
VENUE: Saint Georges Hotel and Conference Centre, Irene, City of Tshwane 
Enquiries:  
Castro Ngobese
National Spokesperson
Mobile (1): 083 627 5197
           (2): 081 011 1137
Tel (dir): 011 689 1702
Email: castron@numsa.org.za
Website: www.numsa.org.za