DURBAN - MEMBERS of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) across KwaZulu-Natal downed tools yesterday as they joined the national wage strike.
More than 2 000 engineering workers gathered and marched from King Dinuzulu Park to Durban’s City Hall to hand over their memorandum. The workers were separated into groups of five to follow the Covid-19 protocols.
The industry’s national shutdown came after engagements between the union and the employers reached a deadlock over salary increases. The unions are asking for an 8% increase, but employers are offering just over 4%.
Mbuso Ngubane, a Numsa regional secretary in KZN, said that it had been two years since the engineering sector received a salary increase.
“During Covid-19 we could not negotiate with the employers, so for the past two years we could not get an increase, therefore, we were expecting the employers to give us double digits, but they’ve shown us the middle finger,” he said.
He said the cost of living was high especially due to Covid-19 and the unrest that took place in July.
Ngubane said their demands were reasonable and that if the employers did not provide a better offer, the strike would continue.
The memorandum, which Numsa submitted to the Metal & Engineering Industries Bargaining Council regional manager in KZN, Rade Alberts and Kylie Griffin from the KwaZulu-Natal Engineering Industries Association, said employers must table an 8% increase across the board for the first year, and CPI plus a 2% improvement factor for the second and third year. If CPI plus 2% falls below 6%, employers must offer 6% or reopen negotiations.
It also said that the sick benefit needed to be amended and include 10 days paternity leave and that the employer should provide R1 000 transport allowance to employees who are unable to make it to work due to non-availability of public transport during certain hours or days where is no transportation and cover all the costs.
Furthermore, they demanded a R1 000 Underground Allowance for employees who were doing engineering underground work.
In other areas around the province, Numsa members and workers at Defy factory in Ladysmith gathered and closed Helpmekaar Road with burning tyres and rocks.
In Springfield industrial park, a number of factories were also closed after workers downed tools and protested outside business premises.
Economist Mike Schussler said if the strike continues, this would pose a great risk not only to the industry and economy, but also to the job security of many. He said the concerning factor was that the steel industry was already struggling to compete with other countries.
“We have to be careful of how we handle this issue so that it doesn’t have further impact on the industry. We don’t even manufacture as much as we did before and far less people are employed in the industry. We have to be careful not to demand too much from the employers,” he said.
He said that it was not going to be easy for the employers to meet the union’s demand as it was a tough industry worldwide.
THE MERCURY