Why strikes are so violent
Killing, intimidation and destruction in Numsa strike lead to more calls for labour law changes and better enforcement
Violence during the latest strike in the steel industry has led to new calls by employers for changes to labour law and better law enforcement.The wage strike by thousands of members of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) is now in its third week, and has led to damage to property and intimidation. At least two people have died.Jonathan Goldberg, CEO of Global Business Solutions and an authority on labour, tells the FM: "There is violence in most big strikes today because of the lack of law enforcement. Employers have little defence against violence and intimidation, because of poor policing and the ineffective prosecution of people who commit crimes."Videos … from the Numsa strike show people breaking down factory gates, getting into factories and throwing out the workers on the job, but there’s little police follow-up. We saw the same lack of policing in KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng during the riots and looting in July."Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says the ...
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