BusinessLive reports that Department of Labour’s annual strike analysis painted a grim picture on Tuesday of the country’s state of labour relations, with strikes having reached a high in 2017.  

The report, drawn up from data collected from employers and trade unions after strikes and lockouts, showed that the number of strikes rose 8% from 122 in 2016 to 132 in 2017.  Labour department director-general Thobile Lamati said the increase was the “highest recording in the history of our strike monitoring”.  There was, however, a silver lining, in that the majority of the strikes were protected, meaning trade unions were beginning to abide by the law by seeking strike certificates before embarking on industrial action.  The number of working days lost increased by 1.5% to 960,889 from 946,323 in 2016.  Disputes over wage demands, bonuses and other compensation benefits were listed as the main reasons behind the strikes.  Not only was 2017 a record year for the number of strikes, but far more people were also involved in strikes than before.  Labour analyst Tony Healy indicated his concern about the “perception” that industrial action was worth the price that “needs to be paid” when evidence suggested the opposite, namely that workers lost out on wages more than they gained.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive

Download the full report at DOl Online

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page