/ 23 August 1998

Sasol reaches agreement with striking workers

OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 9.15pm.

NATIONAL Petroleum Employers Association spokesman Lutz Kranz said that Sasol has reached an afternoon reached agreement with four chemical unions which could see striking employees returning to work on Friday night.

Kranz said the agreement reached on Thursday afternoon still has to be ratified by the executive committee of the Chemical Workers’ Industrial Union on Friday, but employers are confident that workers will start work on Friday.

In terms of the agreement, workers will get an 8,5 percent wage increase and another 0,5 percent increase on January 1 next year.

Wage negotiations took a positive turn on Thursday when the unions agreed to consider a formal, conditional offer of an 8,5 percent wage increase, but Krantz said the offer is conditional on settlement.

Representatives of the CWIU and other petroleum employers will meet again on Monday.