IndustriALL National Women’s Council of South Africa is founded

The Council, made up of NUM, NUMSA, SACTWU, CEPPAWU and UASA, is meant to initiate and facilitate collective action to:

• Promote joint actions and campaigns aimed at developing and strengthening South African IndustriALL affiliates’ responses to Gender Based Violence
• Promote women’s participation in key union structures and work in line with IndustriALL’s strategic target (achieving 40 per cent gender balance
• To work towards collective actions aimed at protecting and defending the rights of working women in South Africa

In the meeting, the INWC-SA agreed on a statement on the case of Gugu Ncube, a young woman who put forward allegations of sexual harassment by her manager, while employed by a service contractor of UNISA Early Childhood Centre.

While the allegations are yet to be determined, how the police has handled the case, the public shaming of Gugu, and UNISA’s refusal to take responsibility, arguing that she was hired through a subcontractor, has led to an outcry in South Africa.

The INWC-SA is calling for a picketing action to be held on the 29 March at UNISA in Pretoria.