Johnathan Paoli
THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has called upon its members not to vote for several parties which it has identified as “right-wing capitalist” with no mercy for the working-class.
Speaking at a media briefing on Tuesday, NUMSA General Secretary Irvin Jim, said in light of the trade union’s membership being confronted with the continuous deepening crisis of socio-economic conditions, it was impossible for NUMSA to remain silent and not to take a political posture on the elections.
Jim said that as a “militant red revolutionary union”, NUMSA had an obligation to serve as political guidance for workers, without deciding for them.
“Because as a union we are very clear that in any class-divided society, the dominant class that oppresses and exploits the working class, reproduces itself in the state and the state in a capitalist mode of production, is nothing but an organ of oppression,” he said.
Jim said the upcoming elections must be about a political and ideological clarion call on all political parties whose constituency is the working-class and unemployed, who have fallen victim to failed neo-liberal policies by the ruling government.
He said the mission of certain parties was not just to privatise and collapse the role of the state in the economy, but to also privatise the country’s energy provision so that Eskom does not remain in public hands.
Numsa took a conscious political decision to not dictate to the working class in general which political party they should vote for, but had a duty to warn them to stay away from parties who advocated for neo-liberal capitalism.
The parties identified by NUMSA include the Democratic Alliance, ActionSA, Freedom Front Plus, Patriotic Alliance, Build One South Africa, Rise Mzansi and the African Christian Democratic Party. In addition, Numsa also called on the working class not to waste votes on individual candidates.
“No NUMSA member should vote for the DA as the DA is targeting the job security of workers and the essence of the outcome of what they want to do when they get power, will destroy 6% of the GDP as a result of destroying the auto industry,” Jim said.
Jim said that the drive towards national emancipation was bound up with economic emancipation, and the people of the country had suffered from unending poverty and starvation, above national humiliation.
He said the union did not underestimate the complexities faced in attempting to transform the country, nor the enormity of the problems of meeting economic needs of the people, but warned against a naive approach to bringing change.
“In our land transformation cannot be effectively tackled unless the basic wealth and the basic resources are at the disposal of the people as a whole and are not manipulated by sections or individuals, be they white or Black,” Jim said.
INSIDE POLITICS
