A possible strike in the petroleum sector has been temporarily averted after employers made a provisional offer of 8% to trade unions, it was announced on Tuesday.
Negotiations in the chemical bargaining council on Monday saw trade unions reduced their demand to 9%, while employers increased their original offer from 7% to 7,5%.
The provisional offer was still to be approved by union members.
“We shall ask our members for a mandate to accept the 8% offer. If members accept, an agreement in the petroleum sector may be reached as early as this week. The alternative remains a strike,” said Solidarity spokesperson Marius Croucamp in a statement.
This comes after members of trade union Solidarity voted in favour of a strike last week.
Other unions involved were the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union, the South African Chemical Workers’ Union and the General Industrial Workers’ Union of South Africa.
Solidarity represents about 6 400 of the industrial-chemical and petroleum sector’s 20 000 workers.
Negotiations in the industrial-chemicals sector will continue on Wednesday.
Employers are offering 7,5% while the trade unions are demanding 10%.
A dispute has, in the meantime, been declared in the glass sector of the chemical industry where employers have offered a 6,3% salary increase while the unions are insisting on 12%. — I-Net Bridge