The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) was outraged on Tuesday by what it said were attempts by steel maker Iscor to undermine its strike action through the hiring of 1 500 replacement workers.
The strike — over back pay and salary scales — entered its 14th day on Tuesday.
”The company is showing its ugly, violent mood and cruel agenda. Numsa thinks that this [hiring of replacement labour] is a strategy designed to undermine, weaken and break the strike,” the union said in a statement on Tuesday.
Numsa, however, also said it was conversely vindicated by Iscor’s move because it showed that the strike had heavily impacted on the company’s production levels.
”We contend that there is no empirical evidence that the strike has not impacted on the production of the primary employer,” said Numsa in response to previous claims by Iscor that production was running smoothly at all its plants.
”The hiring of the replacement labour is the most corrosive pre-occupation of the company since the commencement of the strike.
”We also warn that the hiring of replacement labour will exacerbate tensions and increase the level of conflict,” Numsa said.
It also contended that hiring unskilled replacement workers was dangerous.
”The current replacement labour is not trained on the job and on occupational heath and safety measures. It is also not safe for replacement labour to work in furnaces because of the sophisticated work methods applied in those sensitive areas,” Numsa said.
It said there was bad blood between itself and Iscor and that no meeting had been planned between the two parties.
Iscor representatives were not available for comment. – Sapa