NUMSA agrees to NEASA'S demands

METAL INDUSTRY
 
"Those who give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety", Benjamin Franklin.
 
In this battle for liberation of SMME's in the Metal Industry from the oppression of monopoly capitalism, in the form of  Seifsa, NUMSA and the Meibc secretariat, and if you value your own business, you just cannot be indifferent.

 
NUMSA AGREED TO THE FOLLOWING NEASA DEMANDS:

• a 7 percent across the board wage increase;
• a 50 percent reduction of the entry level wage (for new employees) in respect of the three lowest wage categories;
• the payment of leave enhancement pay only in respect of days actually worked; and
• a completely revamped/potent exemptions policy, providing, amongst others, for;-
• a wide range of operational grounds on which an application for an exemption could be based;
• criteria for exemptions on financial grounds; and
• an automatic exemption for businesses employing 50 or less employees, on a permanent basis, from the provisions of the Main Agreement.

 
HOW DID THIS COME ABOUT?

This capitulation by NUMSA to NEASA's demands occurred fifteen days before the Minister of Labour signed the notice by which she extended the Seifsa/trade union July '14 agreement to non-parties (with effect from 5 January 2015). NUMSA, in correspondence directed to NEASA and under oath in Labour Court proceedings in Johannesburg, nationally and unconditionally, capitulated to the NEASA demands tabled during the 2014 Metal Industry negotiations, and confirmed in NEASA's July '14 lock-out notice.
 

HERE's THE PROOF

Apart from other communication between NEASA and NUMSA through their respective legal teams on this issue, here's the proof of the NUMSA position (capitulation) towards NEASA's demands:-

• The NEASA July '14 lock-out notice
• Email from NUMSA's attorneys to NEASA's attorneys
• Extract from NUMSA's affidavit introduced in 17/12/14 Labour Court proceedings
• Extract from 23/12/14 Labour Court judgement.

 
 
WHERE DOES THIS LEAVE THE INDUSTRY?

There is not a single similarity between the July '14 agreement NUMSA entered into with Seifsa and NUMSA's December '14 capitulation to NEASA's demands. However, it is the NUMSA/Seifsa agreement which is now enforced upon the remaining 85 percent of employers in the Metal Industry (those employers not affiliated to Seifsa), including employers which are members of NEASA.
 
This Industry finds itself in an unprecedented bizarre situation: NUMSA capitulates to NEASA's demands but then attempts to enforce their Industry destructive agreement with a weak Seifsa on NEASA through the intervention of the Minister of Labour. We won't accept that; we hold NUMSA to their 'deal' with NEASA.
 
Regards

Gerhard Papenfus