Uitenhage Crisis Committee

Response to Vavi, on his comments on the VW strike 11.3.2000

 

The Uitenhage Crisis Committee rejects the allegation that any person of the Crisis Committee or the dismissed VWSA workers were involved in the recent petrol bombing of an ex-shopsteward’s home. His statement is irresponsible, especially as it is untrue and made in a highly volatile situation. We call on him to immediately retract his provocative statement, which is really an incitement to violence and setting up Crisis Committee members and VWSA workers for attack by the Numsa officials. As a responsible leader of Cosatu he should have, from the beginning, acted against the undemocratic actions of the Numsa officials and leadership that have directly contributed to the dismissal of the 1300 VWSA workers.

So far as our methods are concerned, we use working class actions within the framework of the Constitution, such as peaceful protest, petitions, etc, to fight the Numsa officials and leaders. When the Numsa officials ran shopsteward elections recently, they signalled that they have given up on the fight for the reinstatement of the 1300. The workers responded by crumpling the ballot forms and throwing these on the ground, en masse. When the Numsa officials-VWSA bosses alliance recognised these unrepresentative shopstewards, the workers resigned from Numsa to such an extent that the union is now no longer recognised by the company. Their union office was closed and the union official stationed there was put out of the factory. The mass resignation comes as a culmination of a long struggle against many sellouts and undemocratic practices by the Numsa leadership and officials. The VWSA workers have spoken!

The demand from the VWSA workers inside and outside the factory remains: full reinstatement of all 1300. As we have been from day 1 of the dispute, we are still open to meet with management to secure an orderly return to work. The VWSA management were the ones who, refused to meet us, locked us out until the dispute was resolved with the Numsa officials.

Issued on behalf of the Uitenhage Crisis Committe
WM Ndandani
ph 0826265298

 


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