Business Report writes that the SA Engineers’ and Founders’ Association (Saefa) believes that the planned strikes by trade unions within the metal and engineering sector were not the only option available to workers.  

The association said although the unions had applied for a certificate to embark on a strike, this did not necessarily mean the strike was inevitable.  Saefa executive director Gordon Angus said on Wednesday:  “The reality is that strike action will be extremely detrimental to employees and the sector as a whole, not to mention the additional pressure that it will bring to bear on the already tenuous economic situation in the country.”  At its expense, Saefa has appointed Jonathan Goldberg, a veteran of industry-level negotiations over wages and conditions of employment, as an independent lead negotiator to represent employers in the wage negotiations.  Angus said this was a clear indication that the association and the more than 400 businesses it represented had a sincere desire to reach a solution that would prevent a strike.

• Read an extended version of this report by Sizwe Dlamini at SA Labour News
• See too, Looming metal workers strike could collapse industry, at eNCA

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page