Bloomberg reports that Cosatu says it will encourage its member unions to balance wage demands with the need to preserve jobs when salary negotiations in their respective industries begin.  

The labour federation’s affiliates represent 1.9 million workers from teachers to miners and they will be involved in a number of different sets of pay talks.  General secretary Bheki Ntshalintshali said on Thursday:  “You don’t want to get an increase and then thereafter people are retrenched and only a few remain to enjoy the benefits of that particular increase.”  Cosatu will advise pushing for above-inflation increases for lower-paid workers, Ntshalintshali said, while better-paid employees could settle for wage increases that are in line with consumer inflation, which was 6.1% in May.  Controversy about excessive executive pay would make it difficult for the unions to reduce demands or accept lower increases, he noted.

• Read this report by Sam Mkokeli and Amogelang Mbatha in full at Moneyweb

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page