The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has called for a one-day nationwide strike March 19. The union, which boasts some 340,000 members, hopes to voice its concerns over youth unemployment ahead of the general elections. During this period, many in South Africa, including the foreign business community, will be focused on organized labor relations.
Reappropriating Union Votes
Unions have long played an important role in South African politics and society. They were vital in the transition from apartheid to democracy. In fact, the African National Congress governs in an alliance that includes the Congress of South African Trade Unions, which comprises 21 unions, and the South African Communist Party.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa has been a stalwart member of the Congress of South African Trade Unions. It contributes more members to the Congress of South African Trade Unions than any other labor group. However, it has recently grown more critical of its umbrella organization, saying it is too cozy with the African National Congress. According to the metalworkers union, the Congress of South African Trade Unions defers to the African National Congress on important decisions, safeguarding its position in the government but not advocating labor interests as strongly as it should. For these reasons, the metalworkers union has demanded that the Congress of South African Trade Unions sever ties with the African National Congress and allocate its 2 million votes to a different party.
In theory, these votes would go to an independent political party, created to speak for organized labor interests. But in reality, such parties are impractical. Despite policy disagreements, most unions believe the benefits of remaining within the African National Congress far exceed the benefits of political alienation. Moreover, there is only so much the unions can do. The African National Congress enjoys the 2 million votes provided by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, but it can still amass roughly 10 million votes without it.
But reappropriating union votes is a moot point. In fact, the metalworkers union has explicitly said it would not tell its members to vote for a party other than the African National Congress. The union likely is posturing so that it can secure membership in the manufacturing sector. As the rise of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union has shown, a more assertive union can poach members from more government-friendly organizations. Therefore, the metalworkers union will likely revert to pressuring the Congress of South African Trade Unions, which unlike the metalworkers union can directly influence the government through its position on the national executive structures of the South African ruling party.
Narrow Interests
Though organized labor is an important political component of the African National Congress' governing alliance, the government must balance labor interests against the needs of the rest of the economy. Foreign capital and foreign markets are necessary for underwriting the mining industry, which is the foundation of the South African economy. Protracted labor strikes disrupt output, raise the cost of doing business and discourage investment.
To retain domestic and foreign investment and to maintain South Africa's predominant economic position, the African National Congress has moderated its economic policies; too extreme an economic focus would be politically untenable because it would marginalize some constituencies, including the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa. Hence, the ruling party has not adopted excessively pro-labor policies. In addition to labor and economic issues, the African National Congress must also reconcile a variety of other interests such as ethnic rivalries that are championed by some opposition parties.
No party can assemble a broad-based coalition that compares to that of the African National Congress. Their narrow interests necessarily preclude them from attracting national support. Staying in power after May 7 will not be the African National Congress' challenge. Its challenge will be managing its diverse constituencies beyond the 2014-2019 term.
