Numsa postpones United Front launch

172 2014.11.29 Moelesti Mbeki speaks at the launch of United Front on Satarday 29 November at Image Lifestyle Confence Centre in Newtown. The launch sees the coming of sixty-one community-based youth and students bodies, faith based and women bodies, and trade unions.The United Front will be deeply involved in a number of protest actions and campaigns. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso

172 2014.11.29 Moelesti Mbeki speaks at the launch of United Front on Satarday 29 November at Image Lifestyle Confence Centre in Newtown. The launch sees the coming of sixty-one community-based youth and students bodies, faith based and women bodies, and trade unions.The United Front will be deeply involved in a number of protest actions and campaigns. Picture: Bhekikhaya Mabaso

Published Dec 11, 2014

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Johannesburg - The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) will no longer launch its United Front this weekend, as originally planned, but will hold an assembly, general secretary Irvin Jim said on Thursday.

“I must be very sincere, absolutely honest, the response on the United Front call has been very big to a point where we could be launching this weekend. There is no crisis,” he told reporters in Boksburg on Johannesburg's East Rand.

“But we resolved to use this weekend with all working class organisations, who are working with us, to basically debate and define the agenda and make sure that all people over the country... have formed themselves into a united front.”

Jim said the assembly, which would be held in Johannesburg on Saturday and Sunday, would elect a national steering committee.

“It is important that we need to have a working structure at a national level which will... make sure that the structures which are being set up are engaged dynamically with the people on the ground and bring up bread-and-butter issues.”

The United Front assembly would receive a report on work which had already been done.

The launch of the United Front had been postponed to April next year.

Jim was briefing media following Numsa's four-day central committee meeting.

He reiterated that the United Front was not being launched as a political party.

“The United Front has nothing to do with assembling so-called electoral combinations of leaders to achieve parliamentary aims.

“The United Front is not a political party,” Jim said.

Sapa

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