LISTENED, without prejudice, to the general secre­ tary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), Irvin Jim, who had a short interview on Radio 2000 recently. He was talking about the proposed rolling mass action, which his union is preparing to lead until the year 2016, in response to the new youth employment tax incentive (and of course Zwelinzima Vavi’s suspension as the main reason). It does feel like Numsa has begun to engage in a prolonged battle with the ANC­led government due toeconomicpolicyandotherpoliticalmatters,partic­ ularly the issue of the suspended Cosatu general secretary, Zwelinzima Vavi, whom Numsa and other several unions want back. It feels like we have been herebefore.Howcanweforget how the apartheid govern­ ment grinded to a halt when unions cemented the anti­ apartheid campaign, as the mass democratic movement took to the street in protest against a brutal system that oppressed and suppressed its SIMPHIWE opponents? We cannot forget how Thabo Mbeki’s government faced a Cosatu and youth leaguethatfacilitatedhisresignationasthecountry’s state president. Idonotknowhow,underthepresentdispensation under President Jacob Zuma’s government, the coun­ trycanavoidorstoprollingmassactionoracampaign that Numsa has promised to engage in until the year 2016 (i.e. when it will be ready to unseat the ANC as the workers’ socialist party gains momentum, perhaps?). Common sense may be said to be not common, but mine tells me that a union that has so much mon­ ey in its reserves like Numsa does can definitely sustain a prolonged campaign and that this is not wishful thinking, or an empty threat. So I listened with great interest when Jim spoke on radio and he did not deviate from what his preferred Cosatu leader, Vavi, who is presently on sus­ pension, has said before. Jim and Vavi are not neces­ sarily wrong in arguing that a two­tier labor system is being quietly ushered in if youths are encouraged to take up jobs that could pay them between R2000 and R6 000 a month. Jim argued on radio that people who are within that bracket do not pay income tax and therefore are not making a contribution to the state coffers, pre­ cisely because they are underpaid. The big question seems to be why does the country need people who are paid enough to qualify to pay taxes and those who are too poorly paid to qualify to pay taxes in the first place? The last time I checked, Cosatu was pushing the