South Africa: NUMSA condemns police violence against striking South 32 workers6 October, 2017Three workers were injured and taken to hospital when police fired rubber bullets at picketing workers at South 32’s aluminium smelter in Richards Bay in the KwaZulu-Natal province on 2 October.
South Africa: Thousands of workers support national strike28 September, 2017Thousands of workers took to the streets and marched in 13 towns across South Africa in support of a national strike against state capture and corruption on 27 September. The strike, which was a protected strike in terms of the law, was called by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU). IndustriALL affiliates the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers Union, National Union of Mineworkers, and the Southern African Clothing and Textile Workers Union took part in the strike.
Southern Africa: Building a network of young workers27 September, 2017Young workers from 11 IndustriALL affiliates representing the construction, chemical, garment and textile, energy, metal and mining sectors in Southern Africa, from Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland met in Gaborone, Botswana, from 20-21 September, to discuss how they can network and develop joint actions on common struggles. The workshop explored ways to increase the participation of the youth in unions.
South Africa: Unions prepare for national strike against corruption and retrenchments21 September, 2017The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has called for a national strike on 27 September to protest “state capture”, corruption and retrenchments.
South Africa: Striking against precarious work in the plastics sector14 September, 2017Fed up with precarious working conditions of short-term contracts, low wages and no benefits, workers at Mpact Plastics and Flexible Plastics and Packaging in Pinetown, about 22km from Durban, South Africa went on strike on 13 September. Organized by IndustriALL affiliate, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), the strikers were demanding permanent jobs and equal pay for work of equal value for contract workers, better wages, overtime pay, and benefits such as medical aid and pension.
South Africa: Transformation too slow for women mineworkers6 September, 2017IndustriALL affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), organized a women’s march to the Chamber of Mines in Johannesburg on 26 August, to protest the slow pace of transformation and empowerment for women working in the mines.
South Africa: Five miners killed in goldmine31 August, 2017The bodies of the last two miners trapped underground at Harmony Gold’s deepest mine, Kusasalethu, in Carletonville, South Africa were recovered today (Thursday 31 August). It brings the total number of fatalities to five.
South Africa: NUM marches against plans to cull 8,500 jobs at AngloGold Ashanti 9 August, 2017IndustriALL Global Union South African affiliate, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), took to the streets of Johannesburg on 5 August and marched to the offices of mining company AngloGold Ashanti to protest proposed retrenchments of 8,500 workers at mines in Carletonville and Matlosana.
South Africa: Mine accident kills four workers2 August, 2017The danger of working underground on South African gold mines was again demonstrated when four mineworkers were killed at work on Saturday 22 July at Tau Lekoa mine at Orkney, North West Province.
Rio Tinto global union network welcomes commitments from company27 July, 2017IndustriALL Global Union affiliates from Australia, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Madagascar, Namibia, South Africa, Canada and the United States, meeting as the Rio Tinto Global Network in Johannesburg, South Africa from 19-21 July, welcomed a commitment from Rio Tinto to improve its relations with trade unions.
