The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) have filed an application for a strike against what it calls rampant corruption in the public and private sectors, the union said on Sunday.

The union said it filed its application with the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) earlier in July for the “socioeconomic” strike.

Nedlac was expected to consider the application on Monday.

“Corruption in the private and public sector is pervasive in South Africa. It is a growing cancer that undermines existing jobs and robs working class and ordinary people their socio-economic needs,” said Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim in a statement.

“Resources that go down the corruption tube could be used to deliver basic socioeconomic services, the provision of adequate housing, basic education, healthcare services, water, social welfare and basic nutrition for children. There is just looting all over the place despite the extensive anti-corruption architecture and laws that exist.”

The union said it was also concerned about state-owned companies violating the preferential procurement policy framework which is intended to get government agencies to procure locally manufactured goods and services.

“In the last few years we have seen parastatals involved in large scale importation of products; leading to widespread devastation of local industries,” Jim said.

“The economic and political elite uses the parastatals not to industrialise the country but to parasitically accumulate for themselves.”

The union made several demands in its application to Nedlac. The demands include, among others, that a commission of inquiry be established to probe the impact of corruption on the provision of basic services, the state’s compliance to the preferential procurement policy, and the effectiveness of the country’s anticorruption institutions.

Numsa said various unions have indicated they would join in the protest action which would include marches, rallies, pickets, strikes and stay-aways by workers.