This week saw the start of an indefinite mass strike around wages in engineering by the 350,000-strong National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) on Tuesday 5th October, as well as a one-day national general strike against job losses, precarious work and neo-liberal austerity by the 1.7 million-strong Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) on Thursday 7th October. Prof Lucien van der Walt NALSU was interviewed by Shahan Ramkissoon on "News Night"on Thursday evening. Strikes, he argued, showed workers' power and are a predictable response to harsh times. A new pro-people growth path is needed to change the country for all.