Irvin Jim (born 1968) is a South African trade union leader. Born in on a farm in the

Eastern Cape The Eastern Cape is one of the provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, but its two largest cities are East London and Gqeberha. The second largest province in the country (at 168,966 km2) after Northern Cape, it was formed in ...

, Jim grew up in

Motherwell Motherwell ( sco, Mitherwall, gd, Tobar na Màthar) is a town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Historically in the parish of Dalziel and part of Lanarks ...

. He became a university student, active in the

anti-apartheid movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by the policie ...

, but had to leave education to earn money in a tyre factory in

Port Elizabeth Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, Sou ...

, where he joined the

National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is the biggest single trade union in South Africa with more than 338,000 members, and prior to its expulsion on 8 November 2014, the largest affiliate of the Congress of South African Tr ...

(NUMSA). Within three months, he was a

shop steward A union representative, union steward, or shop steward is an employee of an organization or company who represents and defends the interests of their fellow employees as a labor union member and official. Rank-and-file members of the union hold ...

, and by 1993 was working full-time for the union. In 1994, he was appointed as regional chair for the Eastern Cape, then from 2000 became its regional secretary. He also held posts in the

South African Communist Party The South African Communist Party (SACP) is a communist party in South Africa. It was founded in 1921 as the Communist Party of South Africa (CPSA), tactically dissolved itself in 1950 in the face of being declared illegal by the governing Na ...

and the

African National Congress The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...

. He's now the general secretary of the

Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (South Africa) The Socialist Revolutionary Workers Party (SRWP) is a Marxist-Leninist communist party in South Africa. The party was founded in March 2019 after a pre-launch convention at the end of 2018. History The roots of the SRWP lie in the split betw ...

. In 2008, Jim was elected as the general secretary of NUMSA, the biggest single trade union in South Africa. He was the spokesperson for NUMSA when it was expelled from the

Congress of South African Trade Unions The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions ...

(COSATU) in November 2014. He is a strong critic of the ruling

, which he accuses of failing to implement the 1955

Freedom Charter The Freedom Charter was the statement of core principles of the South African Congress Alliance, which consisted of the African National Congress (ANC) and its allies: the South African Indian Congress, the South African Congress of Democrats ...

, and which he blames for xenophobic violence in South Africa. In January 2015, he toured the United States, speaking to Local 1199 of the

Service Employees International Union Service Employees International Union (SEIU) is a labor union representing almost 1.9 million workers in over 100 occupations in the United States and Canada. SEIU is focused on organizing workers in three sectors: healthcare (over half of member ...

in New York, and the

Institute for Policy Studies The Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) is an American progressive think tank started in 1963 that is based in Washington, D.C. It was directed by John Cavanagh from 1998 to 2021. In 2021 Tope Folarin was announced as new Executive Director. ...

in Washington, DC. In his Washington speech, he stated that NUMSA is a Marxist-Leninist union whose goal is the creation of a "Socialist Republic of South Africa". He accused some leaders of the ANC of supporting a "post Apartheid neoliberal capitalist South Africa with South African and multinational corporations and the South African white political community" and stated that they had "betrayed the South African revolution." He is cooperating with

Mosiuoa Lekota Mosiuoa Gerard Patrick Lekota (born 13 August 1948) is a South African politician, who currently serves as the President and Leader of the Congress of the People since 16 December 2008. Previously as a member of the African National Congress, ...

of the Congress of the People party, and ousted COSATU general secretary

Zwelinzima Vavi Zwelinzima Vavi (born 20 December 1962) is the former general secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), and vice-chairperson of the Millennium Labour Council. Early life Vavi was born on a farm in Hanover, Nort ...

in a campaign against political corruption in South Africa.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jim, Irvin Living people 1968 births Anti-apartheid activists People from the Eastern Cape South African trade unionists