Talks about the continuing security guards’ strike were adjourned on Tuesday for the parties to ”clarify and reflect on issues still in dispute”, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) said.
”… Parties in the security industry met [on Monday] to try and finalise the outstanding issues in dispute.
”Given the fact that discussions continued to approximately 2am, parties agreed to adjourn to clarify and reflect on issues still in dispute,” CCMA spokesperson Lusanda Myoli said on Tuesday.
Nerine Khan, the CCMA’s director, said the parties agreed generally on most aspects of a new wage offer, with minor differences, which the unions would ”caucus”.
What the parties differed on were interpretations to parts of the agreement, Khan said.
Steve Friswell, spokesperson for the employers, agreed with Khan, saying the unions should contact the employers when they were ready to talk.
However, leaders of the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) said they would indicate on Wednesday whether they are ready to resume the talks.
”The negotiations could not give us the result we expected and therefore the strike continues,” said Jackson Simon, Satawu’s coordinator for the security industry.
He said the union would indicate on Wednesday whether it was ready to resume talks or not.
The often violent strike began on March 23.
Employers had been offering 8,3%, but on Friday revised their offer to a three-year deal with a 9,25% pay hike in the first year, 7,25% in the second year and 7% in the third year.
Satawu and the Transport and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa have been holding out for an 11% increase after 14 smaller unions agreed to an average 8,3% increase over the next three years. — Sapa