South Africa’s engineering sector workers begin strike

South Africa’s engineering sector workers begin strike
Collins Atohengbe, Pretoria

Workers in the Engineering sector of South African economy have embarked on an indefinite strike across the country to press for increased wages and better condition of service.

A spokesman of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa [NUMSA], Castro Ngobese confirmed to in a press statement that members in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, East London and Cape Town have down tools following unsuccessful attempt to reach a deal on the workers demand.

NUMSA members in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces also joined in the industrial action on Monday, while those in the Free State and Northern Cape are expected to down tools on Tuesday.

Demands

The Metal workers representing about 120,000 employees will be joined in the strike by the Chemical Energy Paper Printing Wood and Allied Workers Union (Ceppwawu) and the Metal and Electrical Workers Union (Mewusa), in the bid to get their employers to accede to a 13 per cent salary increase.

In addition, the workers are also calling for a ban on labour brokers and a two-year wage agreement but the employers say they are willing to pay seven per cent.

The Steel Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA), which has about 28 employers associations in it, had in a statement in May said that the metal industry’s four-year wages and conditions of employment agreement under which employers are currently engaged would expire on June 30.

Employment agreement

This agreement covered 9,000 member companies of SEIFSA and about 348,000 workers which began wage negotiations with six trade unions in May; but failed talks resulted in the current strike which could have a band wagon effect as more workers group are poised to join in the industrial action.

The Congress of South African Trade Unions, COSATU had during its national congress in June promised to call out affiliate members for the “mother of all strikes” to ensure that South African workers earns a living wage.

Williams