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The Citizen reports that according to the National Employers’ Association of SA (Neasa), South Africa’s sluggish economic growth has given employers the upper hand in wage negotiations and made them particularly stubborn.
A case in point, said the body’s chief executive officer, Gerhard Papenfus, was the end of the three-week strike in the petrol sector. “Initially, employers came to the table with a three-year deal for a 7% increase,” Papenfus noted. “The unions rejected this and demanded 9% for a one-year deal. After a three-week strike, they settled for the 7%. So, what was the point of a three-week strike in the first place?” The strike reportedly caused little disruption in supply and distribution because oil companies had contingency plans in place. Papenfus went on to say: “Employers are becoming immune to strike action… Unions must come to the table with realistic demands.” Still reeling from a commodity price crash, employers in the mining industry were even less likely to budge on union demands, labour expert Andrew Levy opined.
- Read this report by Simnikiwe Hlatshaneni in full at The Citizen
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page