BusinessDay reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) says its members will have to decide whether or not to embark on a strike at the country’s seven car manufacturing companies after the employers’ revised multi-year offer was rejected.

The Automobile Manufacturers Employers Organisation (Ameo), representing the seven car manufacturers, on Thursday tabled what it called a full and final settlement proposal for increases of 7% in the first year (it previously offered 6.5%) and 5.5% for each of the next two years (previously 5%). This spurred Numsa, which had been demanding increases of 9% and 8% in the outer years, to call on the employers to consider an 8% offer in the first year and 6% in the second and third years or 7% for each of the three years.

But, Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said the employer delegation in the negotiations “continued to be hardline and remained very rigid and arrogant” in maintaining their offer. As a result, parties reached a deadlock. Jim said the offer would be taken back to the union’s members “to decide on the next course of action, given that parties have failed to resolve the current impasse.” Jim went on to indicate that “it will be workers who decide whether we must give employers a 48-hour notice for a strike action and when such a notice should be served”.

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

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