The final round of talks in the petroleum sector on Wednesday failed to resolve differences between the parties, and mediation in the chemical bargaining council did not result in an agreement, trade union Solidarity said on Thursday.
“Yesterday’s [Wednesday] negotiations were deadlocked and a certificate was issued granting us permission to strike,” said Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans.
“Employers offer a 5,5% increase, while our members are demanding 10%. Solidarity agreed this morning to meet with employers again on July 12,” Kleynhans added.
According to Solidarity, there was unhappiness among the trade union’s members about the large increases that company management in the industry had awarded themselves.
“In 2005 [financial year], Sasol’s chief executive officer Pat Davies” got paid 48 times the salary of the average Sasol worker, and not a worker at the bottom levels, either. This means that the average worker earns 2,1% of the CEO’s salary. The total remuneration package of Sasol’s CEO in 2005 amounted to $9,2-million, which represented an 83% increase on his 2004 salary package. Our members feel that, although the company performs very well financially, its performance is only reflected in the increases paid to management,” Kleynhans said.
Solidarity earlier pointed out that a strike in the petroleum sector could cause a petrol crisis, which had been confirmed by South African state oil company PetroSA. – I-Net Bridge