BL Premium reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) indicated on Wednesday that it was demanding wage increases of up to 20% in the automotive assembly industry.
Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim advised that the union had already held three sessions with the Automobile Manufacturers Employers Organisation (Ameo), the employer body representing BMW SA, Toyota SA, VW SA, Mercedes-Benz, Ford, Isuzu and Nissan. Jim said: “Obviously, workers are demanding a double-digit increase [in the automotive sector] — 20%. But as you know, negotiations are give and take. The demands can be between 10% and 20%, depending on how you persuade the other party to move.” Jim was adamant that the automotive sector could afford the wage demands as it was a “profitable business”. He stressed that the union had always settled for multi-term pay hike deals to ensure stability in the sector, “so that we don’t end up with a strike every year”. There was a possibility of a strike in various sectors should employers refuse to make meaningful offers, said Jim. Ameo spokesperson Andile Dlamini responded: “We are not in a position to comment on the position of the two parties ... The parties met last week and will meet again next week. The two parties are still in the early stages of the negotiations and cannot make a determination on the duration of the talks yet.” Numsa president Andrew Chirwa echoed Jim, saying a strike would be a last resort. “When we strike [it means] we have no choice because workers lose benefits during a strike. If employers do what [we witnessed] at Eskom, then definitely there will be a strike. The sooner we find solutions the better,” he said.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page