BL Premium reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) expects a strike certificate to be issued after parties failed to find common ground during a dispute resolution process held over two days this week in the motor sector.

Numsa is demanding a 12% increase from the Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) and the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), which have offered increases of between 3% and 4% for forecourt attendants, cleaners and cashiers. The motor sector represents employees in components manufacturing companies, fuel stations, car dealerships, car cleaning companies, auto parts assembly and panel-beating workshops, and employs about 306,000 workers nationally, of whom about 90,000 are Numsa members. The parties had been negotiating at the Motor Industries Bargaining Council’s (Mibco’s) Dispute Resolution Centre (DRC) in an effort to break the wage deadlock lodged by Numsa recently, after three rounds of talks failed to reach consensus. Noting that the union had unsuccessfully met with employers in the sector on Monday and Tuesday this week under the auspices of Mibco, Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola indicated: “Unfortunately, it seems we are being pushed towards a national strike. We are expecting the commissioner to give us a strike certificate on Tuesday next week. We have not yet determined a date for strike action. Members will guide us on that. In the meantime, we will be mobilising members all over the country for a total shutdown of [the] motor [sector].”

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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