South Africa: NUMSA Gears up For 2025 Bargaining Season

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) convened its National Bargaining Conference (NBC) from March 24 to 26, 2025. The forum brought together delegates from all its negotiating sectors – Auto, Motor, Plastics, In-House Agreements, Aviation, and Mining – to set the tone for the union’s 2025 collective bargaining agenda.

The conference reiterated NUMSA’s commitment to not only fight for improved wages, benefits, and conditions of employment but also to address the structural crisis facing South Africa’s manufacturing sector.

“This year’s NBC was about more than just bargaining mandates,” says NUMSA NBC declaration. “It was about preparing the union, its shop stewards, and membership to strategically intervene in shaping an inclusive economy through industrialization and job creation.”

Engaging beyond the bargaining table

In a break with tradition and in line with its transformative approach, NUMSA expanded the scope of the NBC to include a broader economic and industrial focus. Strategic leaders from government and industry were invited to speak, fostering critical dialogue on the state of the economy, deindustrialization, and the urgent need to rebuild South Africa’s productive base.

Among the attendees were Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) Parks Tau; Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe; and Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy. Also in attendance were former DTIC Minister Ebrahim Patel and Musa Ndlovu, General Secretary of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics sector.

These engagements, NUMSA said, were essential in reflecting on the real challenges workers face and ensuring that the union’s demands are grounded in a comprehensive analysis of the broader political economy.

Focus on manufacturing and industrialization

Veteran unionist and former minister Alec Erwin offered a sobering reflection on South Africa’s industrial decline and provided strategic insights on rebuilding a resilient manufacturing base. Economist Tafadzwa Chibanguza of SEIFSA painted a detailed picture of the state of the plastics sector and advocated for stronger investment in public infrastructure to stimulate industrial growth and job creation.

Auto industry insights came from Toyota CEO Andrew Kirby, while Renai Moothilal and Nduduzo Chala detailed the state of the motor components and tire sectors respectively. Economist Duma Gqubule tackled macroeconomic policy and the path toward a progressive industrial policy agenda.

NUMSA also invited speakers with specific expertise in collective bargaining and workers’ rights. Dr. Alex Mashilo provided a historical account of NUMSA’s collective bargaining strategies. Mondli Hlatshwayo explored the impacts of technological change on the world of work, and Rhea Chatterjee offered a global perspective on workers’ challenges in the aviation sector.

A clarion call for economic transformation

Speaking in an interview with Newzroom Afrika, NUMSA Secretary General Irvin Jim emphasized the urgency of economic transformation through industrialization.

“I think as a country and as the labor movement in general – in this front of manufacturing and industrialization – we have no shortage of ideas. We know what needs to be done. As you would know, ideas become material force only when they are turned into business plans and programs that are implementable,” Jim said.

“We have been bemoaning the fact that for the past 30 years, we’ve basically been stuck with a government that has not been helping us or enabling the country to break new ground in terms of manufacturing and industrialization.”

Jim’s remarks captured the broader ambition of the NBC, to adopt a proactive role in economic restructuring, capable of securing long-term dignity and stability for South Africa’s working class.

Strategic resolutions for 2025

At the conclusion of the three-day conference, delegates adopted clear resolutions that will guide NUMSA’s negotiations across all sectors this year. But, central to these also was the renewed emphasis on organizing, recruitment, and delivering quality services to members – reinforcing the union’s mission of being rooted in the workplace and the struggles of its members.

While bargaining for better wages and working conditions remains the cornerstone of NUMSA’s work, the union also resolved to strengthen its strategic positioning in broader economic debates, particularly around the future of South Africa’s industrial and manufacturing capabilities.

“Our bargaining approach must be bold, political, and rooted in the reality of our members. It must also confront the systemic issues that keep our economy in crisis,” part of the declaration read.

As NUMSA heads into another season of negotiations, the 2025 NBC has positioned the union at the bargaining table and as a critical player in the national debate on economic and industrial transformation.

Courtesy: Peoples Dispatch