COLUMBUS Stainless Steel in Middelburg on Thursday said a four-hour meeting on Thursday with strikers from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa ended inconclusively. The company played tough, abandoning a 7,3% pay rise that Numsa rejected on Tuesday, and going down to 7,1%, plus 0,5% based on individual performance. It said three other recognised unions at the plant have accepted this offer. Numsa is sticking to 7,7% plus some other demands, including a full-time shop steward for its 500 Columbus members. Columbus maintains that international steel prices are at their lowest in 30 years, and pointed out the company’s R323-million loss last year. Numsa shop steward George Nhlapo denied a company allegation that the union had returned to its original demand for a 9,7% increase. About 150 union members have been arrested for various offences since the strike began on July 12.