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'All labour brokers must be banned'

General Secretary of NUMSA Irvin Jim during the press conferenceon the national day of action against labour brokers. Pic: Munyadziwa Nemutudi. 05/10/2009. © Sowetan.
General Secretary of NUMSA Irvin Jim during the press conferenceon the national day of action against labour brokers. Pic: Munyadziwa Nemutudi. 05/10/2009. © Sowetan.

THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has launched a campaign to ban labour brokering.

THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has launched a campaign to ban labour brokering.

Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim did not mince his words yesterday when he called for nationwide pickets at premises of companies using labour brokers.

Jim said the union, with the blessing of their federation Cosatu, "did not need" Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana in their campaign to ban the practice of labour brokering.

"Minister or no minister, we will ban labour brokers. We don't need the minister on this one," Jim said.

Addressing journalists in Johannesburg Jim said: "As per our Cosatu 10th national congress declaration, Numsa will join other Cosatu affiliates in action on October 7, an International Day of Action, to ban modern day slavery, as represented by labour brokers in our country."

He said letters of demand would be sent to companies using labour brokers to permanently employ all their workers.

Jim also referred to a study by University of Cape Town economics professor Haroon Bhorat, which revealed that South Africa was the most unequal society in the world.

He said the study showed that while inequality has risen among black people, the growth of white salaries surpassed those of black people's salaries.

The fight against labour brokering comes amid ongoing parliamentary debate - with certain opposition parties viewing it as a means of job creation in South Africa.

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