BusinessLive writes that the recent wage agreement in the metals and engineering industry may have prevented a strike, but workers will have to wait a long time before benefiting from it.  

The deal that seeks to hike workers’ wages by up to 7% was signed by five trade unions, but only by a single employer association, namely the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa).  Other employer bodies plan to fight against being included within the agreement’s terms.  This follows the failure by employer organisations to reach consensus about wage offers during the initial stages of negotiations, when they opted to go their separate ways.  While the Labour Relations Act makes provision for the Minister of Labour to extend the agreement to non-signatories, the National Employers’ Association of SA (Neasa) said it would block its ratification at the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC).  "Any attempt by Seifsa and the trade unions to extend this agreement by unlawful means, as they have done in the past, will be met with the appropriate urgent legal action," said Neasa CEO Gerhard Papenfus.  Another employer body opposed to the deal, the SA Engineers’ and Founders’ Association (Saefa), said Seifsa had underestimated the number of employers who would reject the deal.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive

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