Metal That Will Not Bend by Forrest Kally;

Author:Forrest, Kally; [Kally Forrest]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Wits University Press

Smith believed that not enough time was being devoted to educating members. In his study of trade union education, Ginsberg notes that shop steward leadership training in Numsa in the early 1990s was neglected in favour of research groups and policy formulation forums. Membership education almost disappeared. This was made worse when, before the 1994 elections, Numsa’s education structures were organised almost solely around delivering the worker vote to the ANC. He also notes that the power of white intellectuals, whose influence declined after the formation of Cosatu in 1985, re-emerged in the period of political transition. They became important conduits for changing political and economic trends in the union.10 Leadership recognised the neglect and realised that to shift workers’ perspective much time and energy needed to go into an education process – and yet it pursued the programme believing that time was simply not available. Smith explained the obstacles:

There was a genuine attempt to get [the bargaining programme] through to membership after it was imposed. We had discussions around the need for consultation. Very long consultation around the strategy was so critical. I had some sense of that, because of my experience in negotiations, just trying to convince people to accept a particular deal. That you really had to spend most of your time, not in the negotiations, but talking to your constituency. But I think there was a view that we were faced with a window of opportunity which you were going to lose. So in a sense the strategy was put on the table with no real backing. It was the central committee who was backing, so therefore we’re going to sell it. The problem was that very few people actually understood the strategy.

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