Ironically, union officials' actions made it possible for management to get rid of workers it saw as bad elements', writes Rene Grawitzky TO MANY foreign investors the events at Volkswagen are yet another example of the deteriorating relations between workers and employers - and a further indication that SA workers are unreasonable and will strike at the drop of a hat. The illegal strike at VW's Uitenhage plant in January made headlines abroad as it coincided with the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, where President Thabo Mbeki and government ministers were embarrassed by the VW workers' actions.
Some strikes are easier to explain than others.
They cite deals between Numsa and management to restructure work practices to meet VW's R5bn export contract. They say union leaders misled workers in trying to accommodate management and failed to explain the contents of the agreements properly. Wilfus Ndandani, a former Goodyear employee, leads the Uitenhage Crisis Committee, but its political agenda is unclear. Political groups such as the United Democratic Movement, Pan Africanist Congress and SA National Civics Organisation have also been linked to the action. Last year it was rumoured that VW management had benefited from the demutualisation of Old Mutual and had failed to pass this on to workers.