As the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) in the metals and engineering sector enters its third week of a wage strike, BusinessLive reports that some of the parties are looking to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to break the deadlock.
Numsa rejected a revised wage offer by the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA (Seifsa) of 6%, up from the previous offer of 4.4%. Seifsa said on Friday the proposed increase of 5% for artisans and 6% for general labourers was final. However, Numsa rejected the offer, saying that, while it was prepared to settle on 6%, the increase must be calculated on what businesses actually paid workers and not the current minimum rate of R49.55 per hour.
Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola indicated on Monday: “There have been no talks with Seifsa since the press conference on Thursday. All employers, with the exception of Seifsa, are participating in CCMA mediation. It started on Thursday afternoon [and] the next session is likely to be some time this week.”