This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.
BL Premium reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has inked an agreement with Bell Equipment to convert 100 contract workers into permanent employees, days after the union threatened to strike and shut the group’s Richards Bay plant and its Boksburg head office.
But this does not mark the end of the impasse between the parties on other demands. “Numsa welcomes the agreement between itself and the management of Bell Equipment, where it has been agreed that those workers who have been exploited by labour brokers for more than 10 years, will be made permanent employees with immediate effect,” Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said. He added: “This agreement means that they will receive medical aid and improved provident fund. This will fundamentally change the lives of these workers by upgrading and improving their quality of life. They now have job security and they will be able to raise their families with dignity.” The union has been at loggerheads with Bell over nonpayment of bonuses, and exploitation of workers through labour brokers. The parties deadlocked and engaged in conciliation. Demanding the insourcing of workers, a housing and transport allowance and R2,000 in untaxed bonuses for member employees, Numsa last week threatened to strike. The parties will apparently meet on 15 August for management to give feedback on the additional demands. “We call on the management to put a meaningful offer on the table because, as things stand, the dispute remains active, which means, if workers are not happy with the offer, they can still resort to a strike,” said Jim.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Michelle Gumede at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page