Mittal Steel is to ask the Labour Court in Johannesburg on Friday for an order interdicting members of labour union Solidarity from going on a pay strike.
Documents to this effect were filed with the court on Wednesday, said the company’s spokesperson Tami Didiza. Arguments are to be heard on Friday.
Should it succeed, the company then intended asking the court to review a strike certificate issued by the Metal and Engineering Industry Bargaining Council, which gave the go-ahead for Solidarity’s labour action.
Solidarity said it plans to go on strike at four of Mittal Steel’s five plants next Tuesday — in Vereeniging, Vanderbijlpark, Newcastle and Saldanha.
”It is difficult to understand on which grounds Mittal Steel wants to fight Solidarity in court,” the union said in a statement.
”If the company wishes to challenge the validity of the strike certificate, then surely it should direct its actions against the bargaining council.”
It also expressed regret that Mittal chose to take Solidarity to court rather than attending to the grievances of workers.
”It would have been far more constructive to attempt to resolve the real problems that resulted in the dispute, which are the irregularities in the remuneration of workers.”
The two parties have reached a deadlock in a dispute over the salaries of 134 Solidarity members employed at Mittal’s Vereeniging plant. Workers at the other plants may strike in sympathy.
The company has claimed that Solidarity’s demands were against the letter and spirit of a three-year wage agreement struck last year.
There was also disagreement on overtime calculation. – Sapa