The industrial action planned by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) in the metals and engineering sector is set to start with a march to the bargaining council in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The strike action comes after parties failed to find each other on Sunday, and a month after Numsa declared a wage deadlock with employer associations at the Metals and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council.
Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim said the union would march to the offices of the council in Johannesburg on Tuesday “as part of the first day of action” for the strike. Marches would also take place in the Eastern Cape, the Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, with rallies set to take place in the Western Cape.
“We are left with no choice but to strike and to withhold our labour indefinitely until the bosses give into our just demands,” said Jim.
Numsa’s leadership engaged all employer associations over the weekend to try to avert the strike, he said. “Despite our best efforts, we regret that our attempt to push Seifsa [Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA] to make a meaningful offer, led to negotiations collapsing last night [Sunday].”
He said the strike would continue as planned, adding: “We are calling for a total shutdown of the engineering sector until these stubborn employers see sense.”
Lucio Trentini, CEO of Seifsa, the sector’s largest employer body that represents 18 organisations employing 170,000 workers, told Business Day on Monday: “Yes, the strike proceeds tomorrow [Tuesday] and it’s regrettable that Numsa has taken a decision to embark on industry strike action, given the state of our sector, the horrendous unemployment statistics and the difficulties being faced by employers in the sector.”
Trentini said any interruption to the sector, “given the fragile state of affairs is regrettable and is in no-one’s best interest, least of all workers and owners of business who will be directly and indirectly affected”.
“Insofar as employers putting contingency plans in place, I can assure you that employers have done everything possible to take all necessary precautions, including stock, material, security etc, in addition to being ready to lock out striking employees should it becomes necessary to do so,” he said.
Seifsa has said SA’s mining, automotive, steel and construction industries would be affected should Numsa, which represents about 432,000 workers, down tools in support of their demand for above-inflation wage increase in the struggling steel and engineering sector.
The sector, which has been a victim of declining prices due to an increase in cheap imports, accounts for about 1.5% of GDP and employs about 190,000 people.
Numsa initially demanded a one-year, 15% pay increase across the board, but in August revised it down to 8% for the first year, after declaring a dispute at bargaining council. The union is demanding consumer price index (CPI) plus 2% for the second and third years and, if CPI falls below 6%, it wants employers to offer 6% or reopen wage talks.
The union has turned down Seifsa’s proposal for a 4.4% increase in 2021, and inflation-related increases in 2022 and 2023. The SA Reserve Bank forecasts inflation of 4.2% and 4.5% for 2022 and 2023, respectively, around the midpoint of its mandated 3%-6% target range.
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