Last year, as the African NationalCongress (ANC) deviated from its path of destruction, the entire nation celebrated as our President, CyrilRamaphosa, sounded a rallying cry to the citizens of South Africa. He asked them to ‘Send Me’ (a line from the lyrics of ‘Thuma Mina’ by Hugh Masekela,) with promises to fix pressing issues affecting the livelihood of South Africans. Yesterday, at the SAPMA AGM marked five days since our general elections, and I was saddened by the turnout of the industry. Less than 40% of SAPMA’smembers were present. Let me be frank – AGMs are often some of the most boring of meetings one can attend. However, for an industry facing tough challenges, it remains the best forum to raise concerns, and participate in industry discussions to ensure decisions affecting you and your business are not made without your input – just like the elections, it is your one chance to have your say! And the real concerns after yesterday’sSAPMA AGM, is that there is a group of 17 companies negotiating at a bargaining forum on behalf of 300 companies within this industry. A feedback session by Dr Ivor Blumenthallaid bare the real concerns. Trade union sare pushing to extend the agreement of this bargaining council to all companies within a sector – whether you are part ofSAPMA or not, whether you were in the conversations or not. Can you afford to not give input on matters which could potentially dictate increases and plant operations of your business? SAPMA is looking to adopt a memorandum to ensure it, as the representative body of the coatings industry, can negotiate on the behalf of its members and ensure the right decisions are made for all parties involved in the coatings industry. But, they need your input. On page 12of this issue we outline the SAPMA memorandum and they ask for feedback – I urge you to get involved in your industry and not turn a blind eye.