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Johannesburg — Numsa announced yesterday that more than 220,000 of its members in the steel and metal workers sector would embark on a strike across the country this week. “The national executive committee has agreed to the decision from our members to embark on an indefinite strike action, beginning on Tuesday,” said Irvin Jim, general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa.
The union was demanding a 12 percent salary increase, the scrapping of labour brokers and a one-year bargaining agreement.
Jim said the planned strike followed a series of negotiations with bosses who remained stubborn and intransigent.
“This was not an easy decision but a painful one, since the principle of no work no pay will be applied by the intransigent bosses,” he said.
Numsa members at Eskom would also picket at the Eskom head office on July 2, demanding an increase of 12 percent across the board.
The union was seeking a R1,000 housing allowance and a standby allowance of R100.
“Numsa members in Eskom are not deterred by the essential service designation because management should have a long time ago put in place a minimum service agreement,” Jim said. — Sapa
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