Unhappy NUMSA workers demand alternative bidder takeover of SA Steel Mills

Members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) staged a picket outside the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) offices in Sandton on Tuesday.

They hoped to draw attention to what they call, the crisis at SA Steel Mills and the need for urgent intervention to save jobs at ArcelorMittal South Africa.

The picket comes amidst an ongoing struggle at SA Steel Mills, which is currently under business rescue.

NUMSA members handed over a memorandum to a representative of the IDC.

The list of the demands includes a financial lifeline for workers at ArcelorMittal South Africa’s Newcastle and Vereeniging plants.

NUMSA spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said this picket is the third of its kind, and that the union wants to focus the IDC's attention on the urgent need for a solution.

“NUMSA is unhappy with how this process is going. It seems to us that the business rescue practitioner is taking sides in terms of which company should purchase SA Steel Mills.”

NUMSA is demanding the IDC rejects Alfeco's bid to take over SA Steel Mills and instead support the second bidder, Pro RM's plan, which it said promises operational recovery within 12 months, and more than 800 new jobs.

Written by Puleng Maake