The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has rejected the latest wage agreement proposals by employer bodies from the Motor Industries Bargaining Council (MIBCO).
Numsa said on Sunday that it had met employer bodies from the MIBCO for the last day of conciliation under the auspices of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA).
"We were negotiating the terms of a new wage agreement to govern the sector after the old agreement lapsed in August 2019. We have been negotiating with employers since July, and with every engagement, they have not made a single compromise. This sector represents workers in components companies, petrol stations, and car dealerships, and employs approximately 306,000 workers," Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said in a statement.
At the last meeting, employers had requested extended conciliation because they had indicated that they would be willing to look at issues affecting working conditions.
This included the demand for transportation or night shift allowance for fuel station workers, as well as reviewing the peace clause in the agreement.
The employers offered, for chapter three sector (component companies), six percent for the first year and 5.5 percent for the second and third years; for sector five (fuel station workers), also six percent for the first year and 5.5 percent for the second and third years; and for all other sectors in MIBCO, CPI plus 1.5 percent for the first year and 5.5 percent for the second and third years.
- African News Agency
