NUMSA SUPPORTS PROTEST MARCH BY ILANGA NEWSPAPER WORKERS!

7 November 2012

The KwaZulu-Natal National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) supports the march by dismissed Ilanga newspaper journalist workers scheduled for tomorrow Thursday 8 November 2012. The Ilanga journalists have been dismissed after embarking on a strike action earlier this year demanding a living wage and improved conditions of employment.

We call on our sister union, the Communications Workers Union (CWU) to play a front-line role and lead this protest action by Ilanga Newspaper workers or journalists.

We view the dismissals as an attack on workers' rights to negotiate improved conditions of employment and service as promulgated in the Labour Relations Act by the democratically elected government of the ANC-led Alliance.

Furthermore, the dismissals of these journalists by Ilanga newspaper profiteers is a continuation of their failed anti-union bashing tactics reminiscent of its old apartheid and Bantustan strategy to liquidate trade unions and undermine workers hard won gains.

We call on KwaZulu-Natal big business, including the Provincial government to withdraw their advertisements from Ilanga newspapers to exert pressure on the malodorous Ilanga management to re-instate all the dismissed journalists unconditionally.

We further call for the removal of Arthur Koningkramer as a shareholder because of his alleged defamatory and racist utterances he unleashes daily against Black African workers in the newsroom.

Statement issued by Mbuso Ngubane, NUMSA KwaZulu-Natal Regional Secretary, November 7 2012

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