OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Tuesday 3.30pm.
THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa on Tuesday said that the second one-day sympathy strike in support of a three-week old strike in the motor retail industry was a raging success.
In the Eastern Cape, the Delta Motor Corporation said it has been forced to close its two plants in Port Elizabeth for the day because of the shortage of critical components while the Volkswagen South Africa plant in Uitenhage closed production lines on Tuesday morning as workers stayed home.
Numsa spokesman Dumisa Ntuli said protest marches are being held in Cape Town, Brits, Vereeniging and Port Elizabeth, among other centres.
Numsa vowed at the weekend to intensify strike action after talks on the wage dispute between trade unions and employers ended in deadlock on Sunday. The main sticking point in wage negotiations is the issue of granting workers increases based on actual rates of pay rather than minimum wages.