The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) on Monday said that nearly 190 000 of its members will strike over wages next week Tuesday.
Last week, the wage negotiations between Numsa and the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (Seifsa) deadlocked.
The union said it is demanding a wage increase of not less than 7% for the lowest-paid workers and 6% for the highest-paid workers, while metal-industry employers offer 6% and 5% respectively.
“The marches will take place in major cities of the country,” Numsa said.
The wage talks cover 310 000 workers employed in the industry.
“Seifsa has taken sadistic pleasure in ratcheting up attacks on workers’ living standards. What is necessary now is to use our collective power to strike for good wages. The four-day wage negotiations last week could not produce the desired results,” the union said.
“Workers have paid dearly ever since the increase in the petrol price in the past six months, which will continue to increase again in July by around 30 cent a litre,” Numsa said.
“Layoffs, labour brokering, outsourcing and casualisation are all features of a restructured production system in the steel industry,” the union added.
The union’s other demands include that the wage increase be backdated to July 1 this year, and Numsa is also seeking a two-year wage agreement.
The union said it is, in addition, demanding that the use of labour-broker workers on direct production processes be restricted to a maximum 12-month period and reduced to six months. — I-Net Bridge