As South Africa heaved a sigh of relief this week that the five-month platinum strike has finally ended, a strike is poised to hit the metals and engineering sector and Eskom from Tuesday.
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) announced yesterday that its 220 000 members in the sector and 11 000 at the power utility had decided to go on an indefinite strike after wage negotiations with the employers reached a deadlock.
However, the government said the metals and engineering sector would receive support to ensure the planned strike did not go ahead, Sapa reported Communications Minister Faith Muthambi as saying, following the fortnightly cabinet meeting.
Workers
in essential services, such as Eskom, are prohibited by the Labour Relations Act from striking.
However, Karl Cloete, the deputy general secretary of Numsa, said members at Eskom would not be deterred by the so-called essential service provisions behind which Eskom was hiding. The union wants a wage increase of 12 percent across the board, but Eskom is offering 5.6 percent.
Andrew Etzinger, the spokesman for Eskom, said the strike would be illegal.
Numsa has pared down its demands in the metal and engineering sector from 20 percent to 15 percent, and now down to 12 percent.
Cloete said that there was a difference of only about R200 between labour’s demands and the employers’ offer.
Numsa wants a one-year agreement while employers want a three-year deal.
Yesterday, trade union Solidarity sent a letter to employer organisations and other unions in the bargaining chamber requesting that the dispute round of negotiations be extended by 21 days in order to avoid a strike.