I’m no dictator: long-serving Numsa general secretary as he eyes re-election

Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim has slammed claims that he is ruling with an iron fist to ensure re-election at the upcoming national congress.

The trade union is gearing up for its congress in July, at which Jim is expected to contest for the same position he has held for the past 14 years.

Shop stewards from Numsa’s Ekurhuleni region recently marched to the organisation’s head office protesting the alleged abuse of power by Jim.

They called on party president Andrew Chirwa, an ally of Jim’s, to suspend him.

According to disgruntled shop stewards, Jim has been doing everything in his power to exclude those opposed to his re-election from the national congress.

The group called for Jim to be placed on precautionary suspension, pending a full investigation into alleged misdemeanours.

Jim said he has been implementing decisions of Numsa’s central committee and national executive committee and added that he was going nowhere.

“All the allegations that were presented by 20 shop stewards who came to protest at the Numsa head office constitute an open defiance against all previous CC and NEC decisions,” said Jim.

It is most unfortunate and rather disturbing that, when the majority takes a decision, a minority (who according to the democratic centralism of our union, ought to subordinate themselves to the decision of the majority), for no good reason decide to defy these decisions.

—  Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim

“It is most unfortunate and rather disturbing that, when the majority takes a decision, a minority (who according to the democratic centralism of our union, ought to subordinate themselves to the decision of the majority), for no good reason decide to defy these decisions.

“The Numsa GS simply executes the decisions of the Numsa CC and NEC, in line with the protocols of the organisation. It is bizarre to suggest that the Numsa GS should be suspended for upholding the decisions of the CC and NEC.”

Among the aggrieved shop stewards’ allegations in their petition was that Jim was behind the collapse of a regional conference in Ekurhuleni because those who stood to be elected did not support him.

They claimed that he sent intoxicated shop stewards aligned to him to disrupt the regional congress because “they did not have the numbers”.

Jim says this is far from the truth as the region’s leadership deliberately organised their conference during the week to exclude some shop stewards.

“This decision attracted a backlash from various local structures in the region who demanded that the regional congress take place during a weekend to enable all shop stewards to attend,” said Jim.

According to shop stewards calling for Jim’s head, the general secretary was “factional and inconsistent” in disciplining regional leaders.

This, they said, was demonstrated in his targeting of regional leaders who oppose him, such as regional secretaries of Eastern Cape and Western Cape who were suspended, while protecting their counterparts from other regions that back him.

Jim defended himself, saying all disciplinary hearings were chaired by external people and decisions they took were not his.

According to Ekurhuleni Numsa shop stewards, Jim’s dominance and ability to push through his will and crush all dissenting voices within the trade union rests with his allegiance to the boss of the union’s cash cow, the Numsa Investment Company.

Jim dismissed the allegation as “cheap political propaganda” that cannot be backed up with evidence.

Any attempts, he charged, to portray him as the alpha and omega of Numsa who cannot be challenged were misplaced.

“It is patently absurd to suggest that the GS in a massive union like Numsa (with nine regions and made up of 52 local structures) can be in a position to know which locals and regions are ‘opposed’ to him in circumstances where these democratic nomination processes have not yet taken place.

“There is simply no basis for these malicious and personal attacks [that I am eliminating competition], which ultimately only serves to undermine Numsa as an organisation.”

The trade union’s president, Chirwa, said there was no need to suspend Jim, adding that the allegations and counter-allegations flying around were a result of expected and normal “heightened excitement as Numsa heads towards its elective congress”.