NEASA lock-out continues

[LazyLion]

The National Employers Association of SA (Neasa) will continue to lock-out workers in the metal sector until its demands have been dealt with, the employer body said on Tuesday.

"Last week, Neasa announced that its members would engage in a lock-out of union members who participated in the recent metal industry strike," said spokeswoman Sya van der Walt-Potgieter in a statement.

"The reason for the lock-out is because Neasa's demands have not been considered during the recent industry negotiations."

Neasa has refused to sign the recent wage settlement agreement that was reached between the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA (Seifsa), the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), and five other unions.

It wanted a standardised entry level wage and a revamped exemptions policy. It also wanted an eight percent across the board salary increase.

Over 200,000 Numsa members in the metal and engineering sector downed tools on July 1, demanding a salary increase of 12 percent, down from their pre-strike demand of 15 percent. They then revised their demand to 10 percent.

They also demanded a R1000 housing allowance and a total ban on labour brokers.

The strike ended on July 28, when unions accepted a wage increase of between eight percent and 10 percent, depending on whether they were high or low earners, over three years.

Van der Walt-Potgieter said Neasa represented 3000 members in the metal industry alone. The majority of them were small and medium enterprises that together employed about 70,000 workers.


Source : Sapa /mm/jk/ks/rod
Date : 05 Aug 2014 15:53

 

[LazyLion]

PARTIES TO MULL NEASA LOCK-OUT

A meeting to resolve the lock-out by some employers in the metal sector is scheduled for this week, the National Employers' Association of SA (Neasa) said on Wednesday.

"All stakeholders are expected to attend the meeting on Friday," said spokeswoman Sya van der Walt-Potgieter.

She said it was expected that a wage settlement agreement signed to end the strike in the sector would be extended to them.

Neasa has refused to sign the recent wage settlement agreement reached between the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of SA (Seifsa), the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa), and five other unions.

At the time of the signing of the settlement, Seifsa said it signed on behalf of the 24 federated associations and confirmed that two associations were still involved in internal mandating processes.

It said the Border Industries Employers Association (BIEA) representative was not present at the meeting, and Neasa did not sign the settlement agreement.

"The Bargaining Council will, in the next two weeks, convene a management committee meeting to ratify the settlement agreement, confirm the position of the two outstanding Seifsa associations, and adopt a resolution to have the agreement extended to all non-party employers and employees in the industry," Seifsa said.

Neasa announced that its members would lock out union members who participated in the strike because its demands had not been considered during the recent industry negotiations.

It wanted a standardised entry level wage and a revamped exemptions policy. It has offered an eight percent across the board salary increase.

Van der Walt-Potgieter said Neasa represented 3000 members in the metal industry alone. The majority of them were small and medium enterprises that together employed about 70,000 workers.

"About 40 percent of our members have confirmed they are engaged in the lock-out."

She said if the settlement was extended to them they would approach the Labour Court.

"Three years ago the settlement was extended to us and the Labour Court set aside that decision."

She said Neasa was appalled by claims by Numsa suggesting that Naesa was fabricating the fact that the union launched an urgent application in the Labour Court and then, during court proceedings, withdrew the application.

"The urgent application was aimed at declaring Neasa's lock-out of union workers who participated in the recent metal industry strike illegal," she said.

According to the Labour Court roll the matter was scheduled to be heard on Tuesday on an urgent basis.

Numsa spokesman Castro Ngobese said the union would issue a statement to clarify its stance.

"We will clarify our position at an appropriate time. We do not want to be dictated to by Neasa," he said, adding that the union was focusing on its international symposium of left parties/movements.

The symposium was expected to start on Thursday in Benoni.


Source : Sapa /mm/jk/ks/jje
Date : 06 Aug 2014 12:12