NUM tackles Fifa

14 Mar 2008 08:32 - Lucky Sindane

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has had enough of the 2010 stadium labour disputes and has now asked Fifa president Sepp Blatter to intervene. There have been a number of strikes over wage disputes by construction workers working on the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, Durban's Moses Mabhida stadium and the Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has had enough of the 2010 stadium labour disputes and has now asked Fifa president Sepp Blatter to intervene.

There have been a number of strikes over wage disputes by construction workers working on the Green Point stadium in Cape Town, Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium and the Mbombela stadium in Nelspruit.

This week, the NUM and the Swiss Federation of Trades Unions handed a memorandum to Blatter in Switzerland outlining their demands and highlighting their points of dispute. The delegation is on a one-week study visit hosted by the Swiss union UNIA and the Swiss Labour Assistance.

Crosby Moni, NUM’s deputy president and chairperson of the campaign for “decent work towards and beyond 2010”, said the government is spending about R36-billion on 2010 projects, but construction workers’ wages and working conditions are bad.

He said: “While the construction sector is experiencing a boom that is likely to last way after 2020, construction workers are experiencing poor working conditions through poverty wages, vulnerable employment through sub-contracting and labour brokers and a lack of health and safety in the workplace.

“We are convinced that Fifa can play an important role in achieving fair working conditions for the building of all the World Cup developments,” he said.

Lesiba Seshoka, NUM spokesperson, said the union would like to see an end to strikes, but that was dependent on the employers.

“We will not hesitate to strike if our workers’ conditions are not improved.

Click here

We’ve asked the 2010 Local Organising Committee (LOC) to intervene in the past, but they didn’t.” The trade union has also raised concerns about being excluded from recent Fifa inspection tours around the country.

In return, Blatter agreed to look at the issues raised by the trade unions and to take them up with government and the 2010 LOC.

“We sent a signal of hope and trust in the abilities of South Africa and the entire African continent when we awarded the 2010 World Cup. The World Cup is intended to have an enduring and positive effect on the economy and generate social change.”