[image: The New Age] 2/20/2011 1:18:39 PM
Numsa wants mines nationalised to fight poverty
The leadership of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA wants mines
nationalised and cooperatives established as a way of dealing with poverty,
it said on Sunday.
After a meeting of its national executive committee (NEC) on Sunday, Numsa
said that nationalising the country''s mineral wealth was the only way to
eradicate poverty.
"The NEC welcomed and appreciated a report of a study tour that was
undertaken in January 2011 to study the experiences of nationalisation of
state-owned mining companies in Bolivia and Chile," Numsa said.
"It is evident that if we are to eradicate poverty, the state must take
charge of our mineral wealth.
"The new growth path must deal with nationalisation and the establishment of
cooperatives must be at the centre of a new redistributive economic
framework," it said.
The union called on the government to disclose whether any previous
administration had entered into any agreement with other countries wherein
South Africa undertook not to nationalise strategic entities.
"The Numsa NEC took a view that the levels of unemployment, poverty and
inequalities have reached alarming levels and the issue of joblessness
constitutes a national crisis and indeed a ticking time bomb," the union
said.
It expected Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to, in his Budget, lay a solid
ground for further cutting of interest rate, bringing back of capital
controls and taking "whatever measures" necessary to weaken the rand.
"The economy in key sectors could collapse if these matters are not
addressed," the union said.
"We are more convinced that the current influx of imports are continuing to
haemorrhage jobs and continue to worsen the deindustrialisation that has
taken place in the last 16 years in our country."
Numsa said its NEC remained convinced that the SA Communist Party was the
only hope for the future socialist Republic of South Africa as it "would put
the working class at the centre of economic emancipation".
"Cosatu and the SACP leadership should hasten to iron out the differences on
tactics and strategy that have emerged amongst these socialist formations in
the alliance," Numsa said.
The union said its NEC wanted labour law amendments to include the banning
of labour brokers -- even if this meant amending the constitution -- and
that white females be excluded as a designated group in terms of employment
equity.
-Sapa
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