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Press Statement , 22 August 2022

NUM urges its members to participate in a planned COSATU national strike on Wednesday

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) urges its members to join and participate in the COSATU National Strike this coming Wednesday (24 August 2022). The intention of the strike is to demand urgent action from policymakers and decision makers to take drastic steps to avoid an economic collapse that is threatening the lives of millions of workers and the poor.

This is a legally protected strike that is meant to pile pressure on both government and the private sector to fix the economic mess that the country finds itself in.

Currently, half the country lives in poverty with many families forced to live without adequate food, and many of them cannot find jobs. Workers are dealing with wage stagnation with their wages repealed by inflation and punishing debt.

Since the onset of this current capitalist crisis, the ruling elites have implemented reckless budget cuts and imposed extreme sacrifices on the workers. There has been a blatant attempt to erode workers’ hard-won rights and reverse the gains of democracy.

We will also be calling on the private sector to abandon its investment strike that has seen many companies either hoarding or exporting cash out of the country, despite receiving generous tax cuts and other incentives to invest back into the economy.

The higher fuel and electricity prices have worsened an already bad situation and are retarding economic recovery. They have weakened the workers' buying power and eroded their wages in the context of unemployment and wage cuts.

For more detailed information, please contact:

William Mabapa, NUM General Secretary, 082 880 4439

Livhuwani Mammburu, NUM National Spokesperson, 083 809 3257

Luphert Chilwane, NUM Media Officer, 083 809 3255

The National Union of Mineworkers
7 Rissik Street.
Cnr Frederick Johannesburg
Tel: 011 377 2111 Cell: 083 809 3257
Twitter: @Num_Media

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/NUM/100860023402167