Johannesburg | Monday
A STRIKE that brought South Africa’s car manufacturing industry to a near standstill last week would continue on Monday along with strikes in the metal and aluminium industries, a trade union representative said on Sunday.
Dumisa Ntuli from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said the union was organising sympathy strikes in support of the stayaway by 20 000 auto workers some 80% of those in the industry which has caused production to drop significantly since it began last Monday.
Auto workers are demanding a 12% pay increase while the Automobile Manufacturers Employers Organisation (AMEO) has offered eight percent, but on condition that workers did not strike.
He said the secondary strikes would see 150 000 workers in the component manufacturing, tyre and rubber industries down tools.
“We want to build a broad front against the employers. We want the strike to gain more strength,” he said.
Numsa gained support from the Metal Workers Union-Solidarity on Sunday, with a representative saying its 4 500 members would from Monday no longer do the work of the strikers.
The strike affects seven international car manufacturers BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Delta, Ford, Nissan, Toyota and Volkswagen.
It is estimated that they will collectively lose one billion rand ($120-million) per week as a result of the strike.
Ntuli said the strikes by 5 000 workers at South Africa’s second-biggest steel manufacturer, Highveld Steel, and 3 000 workers at Hullets Aluminium’s plants would also continue on Monday.
The steel workers, who are represented by Numsa and MWU-Solidarity, went on strike on Tuesday in demand, respectively, of 15 and 10% increases. Highveld Steel has offered 8%.
The aluminium workers, who downed tools on Friday, are demanding a 15% wage increase, while the company is offering 8,7% for the lowest-paid workers and 8,1% for higher-paid workers.
July to September is traditionally strike season in South Africa as it is the period when most workers’ salary increases are negotiated.
This year, employers face the added prospect of a two-day national strike by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), which has 1,7-million members, at the end of August to protest against the government’s privatisation programme. – AFP