By Johnathan Paoli
South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) General-Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi has warned that never again should a small group of workers be left to fight alone against a multinational company when their struggle could set a precedent for cheaper labour across an entire industry.
In a statement on Thursday, Vavi said the 350 National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) members who spent almost three months on strike at Beijing Automotive Industry Corporation (BAIC) in Gqeberha had been fighting far more than a battle over their own wages, and admitted that SAFTU and the organised working class had failed to rise to the occasion.
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“The next time workers stand between multinational capital and a precedent capable of driving South Africa into a low-wage industrial future, they must not stand alone. Investment
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