BusinessLive reports that employer organisations in the metal and engineering sector are negotiating directly with workers after failing to reach agreement with unions on wages, while trade unions have threatened industrial action.  

Wage negotiations started on 7 June, but have collapsed.  Certain parties have declared disputes at the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC).   Unions have rejected a 5.4% wage offer and have instead demanded increases of 10% to 12%.  The decision not to continue negotiating collectively exposes the disjuncture between big businesses, represented by Seifsa, and smaller enterprises (SMMEs), represented by Neasa.  Seifsa said it would hold bilateral meetings with unions to do "everything possible" to avoid a strike.  But, Neasa has warned that it saw no ending to negotiations other than industrial action because trade union Numsa was negotiating in bad faith and "hell-bent" on strike action.  Meantime, the United Association of SA (Uasa) claimed that it has reached agreement with some companies that had approached labour individually, outside of employer bodies.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive

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