The motor industry should anticipate a ”massive” strike next month if the upcoming wage negotiations with employers do not yield positive results, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said on Monday.
Numsa spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli said the union would meet two Retail Motor Industry organisations next Monday to resolve the impasse.
”Unless the dispute is expeditiously resolved, we remain on constant course to strike at the end,” he said.
The union had rejected a 8,5% wage increase offered by employers at their meeting last week. It is demanding a wage hike of five percent above the consumer price index.
Numsa is also calling for wages of workers to be backdated to the date of the signing of the collective agreement, a one-year wage agreement, and for area wage differentials to be removed immediately.
Ntuli said the strike was scheduled for September 1 and it would involve about 81 000 workers.
”We will start with a primary strike action on September 1 and about 60 000 members are expected to participate,” he said.
”A secondary strike will resume the following day, in which 21 000 workers will be involved.” – Sapa