The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Thursday said it would meet employers in the civil engineering contracting sector at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) in the afternoon.
NUM said the meeting follows two days of failed attempts to break a deadlock.
The union’s chief negotiator in construction and also its construction sector co-ordinator, Bonginkosi Mncwabe, raised frustration at the manner in which the employers have conducted themselves in a media statement.
”It is evident that the employers do not want to resolve this matter amicably in negotiation room but in the streets. We can not at this day and age accept that construction workers can earn R1035 as their monthly salary. To think that, is wishful thinking on the part of employers”.
NUM said it wanted a minimum wage of R1 500 this year and R2 000 next year.
”The industry also should see reason in giving limited duration contract workers benefits such as severance pay, provident fund and risk benefits,” Mncwabe added.
The 2pm meeting came on the same day as construction and manufacturing giant Group Five announcing that its three-year restructuring plan had resulted in strong results for the year to June 2003.
Revenue had increased by two percent to R4,1-billion, earnings per share increased 26% to 140,0 cents per share and operating profit was up 29% to R160,1-million. – Sapa