South Africa’s engineering and steel union on Monday threatened strikes against the motor industry if employers fail to meet their wage increase demands, Reuters reported.
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But the National Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) averted another strike by accepting offers in pay talks with the Steel Engineering Industry Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) and with steel firm Iscor (ISCJ.J), the report added.
Reuters said the union threatened a strike against the motor industry for September 1, calling its offer of an 8.5% pay increase “shameful and disgusting” after talks collapsed on Friday.
“We are planning a full-blown strike in the component manufacturing sector… that is where we will hit the (motor) employers the most,” Nondwangu told reporters, according to Reuters.
The news agency said NUMSA demands a wage increase amounting to the index measuring the official targeted inflation rate plus 5%. The index rose by 6.4% in June.
South Africa’s central bank has highlighted generous pay increases in the public and private sectors as a threat to its aim of bringing the annual increase in the index down to between 3 and 6%, Reuters noted.
Nondwangu told Reuters the dispute with the motor industry was about its method of granting increases, which he said would be based on minimum pay rates rather than on actual salaries.
