The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) supports the strike by members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) at Ford SA.

COSATU stands in solidarity with the 3 000 NUMSA members who downed tools on Thursday because Ford is refusing to share profits with them. NUMSA says the US motor company has benefitted hugely from the sweat and labour of workers, making billions in profits but refuses to pay profit share bonuses.

The motor manufacturing industry has benefitted from billions of workers hard earned taxes’ subsidies and pension fund investments in both South Africa and the United States. The very least these pampered CEOs can do is share the rewards of workers’ sweat and blood with them. 

Workers at Ford receive incentive bonuses, but NUMSA argues these are linked to workers enslaving themselves to attain targets set by their exploitative employer. With this strike, NUMSA is effectively calling for workers to share in the surplus wealth they have created for the company and its shareholders.

In a failed attempt to stop the legal strike in its tracks, Ford SA approached the Labour Court on Thursday for an urgent interdict. But the court reserved judgment enabling the strike to continue indefinitely.

COSATU supports this bold action by NUMSA, charting a way for more workers to demand a share of the wealth they create with the sweat of their brows.

Issued by COSATU      

For more information please contact:

Zanele Sabela(COSATU National Spokesperson)

Cell: 079 287 5788

Email: zanele@cosatu.org.za