Trade union, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), says it does not believe excessive demands have been placed on the automotive industry to give workers a double-digit wage increase due to the profits that companies have made over the past two years.
NUMSA has requested salary increases of up to 20% for workers in the automotive industry. Employers have proposed an inflation-linked three-year agreement. Wage talks are due to continue next week.
NUMSA’s National Spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola explains their argument.
Workers in the auto sector have not had an increase for the last two years. The argument that was given was that there was a COVI-19 lockdown which had an impact on the economy, so workers were encouraged to make sacrifices in order to benefit the companies. But what we are seeing is the automotive companies have benefitted hugely in terms of the profits they have reaped in the past two years. So we think it is time for them to give bac, says Hlubi-Majola.
Hlubi-Majola says they do not believe a double-digit increase is too much considering how much profits they have made.
Numsa says its 20% wage-increase demand for automotive sector is justified
SATAWU strike
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) has rejected the 3.5% wage increase that the employers’ organisation Security Private companies has proposed.
The negotiations which started on 1 April until last week remained deadlocked, with the sector threatening to embark on a strike.
The union is demanding a 16% basic wage increase each year for the next three years.
SATAWU’s spokesperson Amanda Tshemese says they will not back down until their demands are met.
“The employer must come to the table with a better offer. We are not going to back down until they meet our demands. We also want to state that we are not going to take the 3.5% they are offering us. We are more than willing to negotiate with the employer.”
“However, they must know that they are not going to exploit our members. The security sector plays a huge role in this country, both in government and the private sector. We are calling on the employer to give us a meaningful offer, that’s it,” explains Tshemese.
SARS strike
Meanwhile, the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) says the South African Revenue Service (SARS) claim that it has no money to spend on its workers’ increased salaries is a blatant lie.
The wage strike by workers at SARS is continuing. Employees affiliated to the Public Service Association (PSA) and Nehawu have rejected the revised offer of around 1.3% after initially demanding a 12 % increase.
The unions say SARS must present a better wage offer or face continued nationwide pickets and strike action at border posts and offices.
