PHILLIP NKOSI, Middelburg | Tuesday 8.10pm
THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa at Columbus Stainless steel company in Middelburg on Tuesday rejected the company’s latest offer of 7,3%.
Numsa’s Mpumalanga secretary Abe Mathibela said the 8-day-old strike will continue.
“There is no way we are going to accept that offer,” said Mathibela. Columbus made the offer on Monday before the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration in Witbank.
The agreed deadline for Numsa to accept the offer was Wednesday, but Mathibela rejected it a day early. Numsa initially rejected a 7,1% offer, plus 0,6% for initiative, and demanded 7,7 across the board.
About 150 union members have been arrested for various offences since the strike began, including alleged intimidation of non-strikers. They were each given R500 bail.
Columbus Stainless is also now offering a 9% increase for the lowest-paid workers. Acceptance of a full-time shop steward is on offer if Numsa increases its membership at the plant from about 500 to 600.
The company’s spokesman Laing Geldenhuys also said the company is offering loans of R1500 each to union members who lost pay during the strike, repayable over three months. “So far the strikers have lost nearly R2-million because the no work, no pay policy is being followed,” said Geldenhuys.
Numsa’s national office on Tuesday threatened a solidarity strike by 60000 workers if the matter at Columbus is not resolved. National spokesman Dumisa Ntuli said the strike will include Alusaf, Iscor, Hullets Aluminium, Samancor group and Highveld Steel.
“The solidarity action will be called next week. Workers in all the plants are discussing the date for the action,” said Ntuli He said that the union would approach the Industrial Development Corporation as shareholders in Columbus to speak to the company about workers’ demands. “We want all shareholders to intervene speedily to resolve the impasse,” he said. – African Eye News Service