The National Union of Metalworkers of SA and the Automobile Manufacturers’ Employers’ Association will hold talks again on Tuesday in order to end the mass action.
The National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and the Automobile Manufacturers’ Employers’ Association (Ameo) will hold talks again on Tuesday in order to end the mass action.
The parties will meet together with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration and the talks will continue on Wednesday if a solution is not found. Ameo is optimistic that the current wage talks will end the strike that began last Monday.
“If the leadership and sense of responsibility is there on both sides, we could get a settlement on Tuesday or Wednesday this week,” said Harry Gazendam, the chairman of Ameo. Gazendam said production would be lost this week regardless of whether a resolution was found.
But production is still continuing at Volkswagen SA and Delta Motor Corporation. VWSA spokesman Mark Derry said there was an improvement in worker attendance on Monday, following a 70 per cent attendance last week. Limited production is continuing at Delta.
Union and industry representatives met at the weekend, but neither side would budge. The industry is offering a 7,5 per cent increase, while the union wants 12 per cent.
Numsa has made it clear that it will intensify the mass action if a solution is not found this week. It has already said that it will call for an extended sympathy strike that would involve workers at tyre and rubber industries, as well as petrol stations.
“We want the strike to gain more strength. It is going to be a huge battle,” said Numsa spokesman Dumisa Ntuli. It is likely 6000 workers in the tyre and rubber industries will strike in any case as Numsa has rejected a revised wage offer from their employers. The New Tyre Manufacturing Employers’ Association is offering a seven per cent increase.
Meanwhile, the MWU-Solidarity union, which on Friday warned that it would not continue doing the extra work of striking members, said its 4 500 members were working to rule. Last week MWU-Solidarity accepted the eight per cent increase offered by Ameo if members did not strike.
Spokesman Dirk Hermann said the work to rule was aimed at “strategically supporting” Numsa. He said the action was “particularly successful” at Volkswagen in Uitenhage and Delta in Port Elizabeth.