A potential strike action by over 190Â 000 workers in the steel and engineering industry has been averted, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said on Monday.
This comes after workers in the industry overwhelmingly agreed to accept an offer of 6,8% for lowest paid grades and 5,2% for highest paid grades. The intended strike action on July 12 has been called-off.
Numsa said that it would formally meet with the Steel Engineering Industry Federation of South Africa (Seifsa) on Monday at 11am to sign a two-year wage agreement.
The wage increases will come into effect from the pay week ending July 8, and will benefit 310Â 000 workers employed in the industry.
The trade union added that the parties agreed to discuss the employer’s rejection of the union’s demands on labour broker arrangements, retirement gratuity pay, shift allowances, leave enhancement pay and severance pay.
“The wage agreement is in line with our hard bargaining strategy and determination encapsulated in our vision to significantly cushion workers’ salaries. We welcome the ground-breaking wage agreement for workers in the steel and engineering industry,” Numsa said.
The wage margin between what the employers offered and the union’s demand
was minimal — that is the reason Numsa called off the strike, the union added. – I-Net Bridge