The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will allow its members to decide how to move forward with the wage negotiations in the engineering sector.
“As a worker-driven trade union, we resolved to take the full debate about the status of the current negotiations, including the possibility of a strike, to regional shop steward councils and general meetings,” said Numsa’s acting national spokesperson, Phakamile Hlubi. “Any way forward will be determined by our members.”
This decision was reached during a central committee meeting on Friday by the union’s national and regional office bearers as well as Numsa officials from all nine provinces.
Hlubi told FTW Online that national meetings – being held separately in all regions – were currently under way in order to determine what members would like to do. She added that when the meetings had concluded, Numsa would inform the public of the decisions made and the steps that would be taken.
The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) noted last week that it was hopeful that a strike could be avoided. It said a clearer picture of the situation would have emerged by its next council meeting on August 7.
A nationwide strike has been hanging over the sector since wage negotiations between the union and employers broke down last month. T
This is as Numsa is demanding a 15% wage increase based on the actual rate workers are earning. Employers have proposed a 5.3% increase based on the minimum rate and not the actual rate.
