The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) will stage a protest outside the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) headquarters in Sandton on Tuesday, calling for urgent intervention in what it describes as a deepening crisis in the steel sector.
The union says it wants the IDC to act decisively on the ongoing business rescue process at SA Steel Mills and to address challenges at ArcelorMittal South Africa.
NUMSA spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said this will be the union’s third demonstration at the IDC offices, following months of frustration over stalled progress.
She said NUMSA will demand that the IDC reject a bid from Alfeco, a metals company seeking to take over SA Steel Mills, and instead support an alternative plan that the union believes will secure a more sustainable future for workers.
“This marks our third protest at the IDC, as workers continue to suffer under a months-long business rescue process that has yielded no results,” Hlubi-Majola said. “We are deeply concerned that the IDC-appointed rescue practitioners are biased in favour of Alfeco, a bidder whose past performance includes collapsed production and worsening labour relations. Their proposed five-year revival plan offers no guarantee of sustainability.”
The union says it will continue to mobilise until workers' concerns are addressed and a credible turnaround strategy is implemented.