BL Premium reports that The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has signed a multi-term above-inflation wage deal with five employer associations in the plastics sector.

The agreement is set to be extended to nonparties in a sector employing about 34,000 workers nationally. There are about 1,800 plastics companies countrywide. The wage agreement will see workers getting pay increases of 7% effective 1 July, a 6% increase effective July 2026 and another 6% increase from July 2027. The wage talks began on 10 April with the offer to unions – including Numsa, NUM, Uasa, Mewusa and Saewa – tabled on 20 May. The employer associations that signed the wage deal included the Plastics Convertors Association of SA (PCASA); Cape Engineers and Founders Association (CEFA); KwaZulu-Natal Engineering Industries Association (KZNEIA); Light Engineering Industries Association (LEIA) and the National Employers’ Association of SA (NEASA). “We think that we have been able to secure a settlement in the best interest for workers. It is a victory for plastic workers. It has been very difficult to handle negotiations in the past because we experienced major challenges,” Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim indicated. Speaking recently, PCASA CEO Natalie van Vreden said the three-year duration would ensure “stability and sustainability within the plastics industry for employers and employees”.

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

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