NUMSA ends components sector strike

MickeyD

MickeyD

RIP
Joined
Oct 4, 2010
Messages
139,095
Reaction score
432
Location
Nelson Mandela Bay
Workers in the motor and components sector will return to work on Monday, ending their four-week strike, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said.

"We accepted the 10 percent [wage increase] offer for the components sector for this year... next year there will be an eight percent increase," Numsa's general secretary Irvin Jim said on Sunday.

Numsa wanted a double-digit wage increase and changes to conditions of employment such as the banning of labour brokers, establishment of a short time workers' fund, and a transport allowance.

"We also got a commitment from the employers that they would do away with labour brokers should government change the laws."

Jim said the union called on government to act speedily to change the legislation regulating labour brokers.

Source : Sapa /mom/th
 
Notwithstanding the double digit settlement, this is good news. The impact was being felt by many Eastern Cape business as many are reliant on the motor/component industry.
 
Too late. BMW has had enough and is pulling out. Expect VW to join shortly, and then after than all the Jap makes.

It's over, motor industry SA.
 
A really heavy and idiotic strike but looking at the settlement it could be the start of actually having some labour progress on our hands -
"We also got a commitment from the employers that they would do away with labour brokers should government change the laws."

Labour brokering practices and abuses are a symptom of the labour laws holding enterprises ransom for using the law as they are is misguided
 
3 weeks strike by the manufacturers workers and then 4 weeks by the component employees. The actual output in that period was 7% of our usual income and we won't survive this. Our owner should by absorbing the losses over the next 3 years but not all us minions. The manufacturers purchasing departments will refuse us requesting more than 4% increase and my boss will cave in instead of negotiating a deal because of the threat of alternative service providers.

The strike was not a last resort action by the unions but a show off power by their leaders. I wish upon them lesions, cankers, boils and sores.
 
agentrfr said:
Too late. BMW has had enough and is pulling out. Expect VW to join shortly, and then after than all the Jap makes.

It's over, motor industry SA.
Click to expand...

Yeah. Fat load of good that 10% increase is gonna do the soon to be jobless in 7 to 8 months.

On that note, are the petrol attendants still striking or are they part of NUMSA? Did anybody miss them?
 
Something needs to change in how we employ in this country. We need a universal minimum wage that's fair.
 
Garson007 said:
Something needs to change in how we employ in this country. We need a universal minimum wage that's fair.
Click to expand...
Is it not already in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act? These folks are not striking about minimum wages here... they are already being paid more than the legislated minimum wage.
 
Garson007 said:
Something needs to change in how we employ in this country. We need a universal minimum wage that's fair.
Click to expand...

minimum wages in SA is sector bound and determined by deeply problematic bargaining processes. In reality minimum wage acts as a descend point rather than a base point. Remuneration converges to minimum wage which tends to be lower than what can be arrived at by proper free negotiation between willing employer and willing employee.
 
Paul Hjul said:
minimum wages in SA is sector bound and determined by deeply problematic bargaining processes.
Click to expand...
My point exactly. Which is why I said universal.

80% of Germany is for a universal minimum wage after decades of collective bargaining - which at the time was successful because the companies had an interest in Germans and the supply pool was smaller.

Paul Hjul said:
In reality minimum wage acts as a descend point rather than a base point. Remuneration converges to minimum wage which tends to be lower than what can be arrived at by proper free negotiation between willing employer and willing employee.
Click to expand...
I'm calling bull****. It only could possibly work when the employer is not a sociopath - which all multinational are by nature. You also need to be in demand and actually worth an interview.

On a local side farm workers are completely capable of being paid what the farmer deems worthy, yet a lot of them had increases during the last minimum wage increase and there's no collective bargaining involved in most permanent positions.
 
Here's the previous Collective Agreement... minimum wage:

http://www.mibco.org.za/images/PDF/simplified main agreement 6 may 2011.pdf

in Area A –
from 7 February 2011 to 31 August 2011 – R126 912 per annum
for the period 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012 – R 138 324 per annum
for the period 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013 – R149 736 per annum

in Other Areas
from 7 February 2011 to 31 August 2011 – R108 884 per annum
for the period 1`September 2011 to 31 August 2012 – R119 568 per annum
for the period 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013 – R130 252 per annum
 
In the future, the South African economy will be mostly tourism driven eg dependant of our stunning wild life and scenery both coastal and inland, eg think safaris, wine routes and fruit routes, sea adventures, mountain climbing, hiking, the Karoo, fynbos..

African art and crafts and fashion and design will be bigger business.

We do not have the right skills for a work force doing finer electronic assembly or services, the Asians got that.

Years and years of low quality education, (the Zuma years) and a lack of comprehending said fact has literally left our force work out of the loop and the damage will still be far reaching.

People will have to work hard, be creative, have practical kills and have an entrepreneurial spirit.

South Africa has a bounty of possibilities in this regard, but cruel crime and rape, laziness, low education and corruption will have to be worked at.
 
MickeyD said:
Here's the previous Collective Agreement... minimum wage:

http://www.mibco.org.za/images/PDF/simplified main agreement 6 may 2011.pdf

in Area A –
from 7 February 2011 to 31 August 2011 – R126 912 per annum
for the period 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012 – R 138 324 per annum
for the period 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013 – R149 736 per annum

in Other Areas
from 7 February 2011 to 31 August 2011 – R108 884 per annum
for the period 1`September 2011 to 31 August 2012 – R119 568 per annum
for the period 1 September 2012 to 31 August 2013 – R130 252 per annum
Click to expand...
I don't think it's saying what you think it's saying. If I'm reading it correctly, that section of the agreement only counts if the employee makes that much. Minimum wages are on page 120 onwards.
 
Last edited:
you can call bull**** all you like every instance where minimum wages have been introduced in sectors as a result of "collective bargaining" that I've had a look into - and in different jurisdictions - suggests that immediately after introduction of minimum wages new employees in that sector are hired by reputable employers at the minimum wage and that it acts as a recommended wage which means that if the wage is determined such as to minimally reduce employment (the standard objection to minimum wage).

Even on the South African farmer side a fairly dangerous practice that surfaces is the individual farmer and labourer not actually communicating and instead falling to collective rates with farmers not paying more than prevailing rates for fear of "disruption". On the domestic work front its the same - people being told not to pay domestic workers more than a certain amount by neighbours and so on

I actively encourage defying the minimum wage as stupid state interference by paying more than what the government and bargaining councils deign ...

Minimum wage is a bad way to ensure fair labour practices. A basic income grant is a much better route.
 
But basic income has no precedent. I agree that basic income would be the thing to aim for and ultimately what the world should move towards, but South Africa isn't in a position to be a guinea pig. A much better country to test it in is something like the USA where printing money (let's say you take that route, as you're unlikely to make enough tax revenue to allow everyone a basic income) doesn't have as big an economic consequence.

While we're living in this decade however, we need to protect the employees. The easiest way to do so is by having a universal minimum wage - even if it in some cases prevents salary advancement when changing employers.
 
A universal minimum wage is certainly better than the ad hoc collective bargaining setup we have but it is naive to think that it protects employees.

A basic income grant is not all that experimental and is quite easy to phase into especially if it is properly universal and a no strings and hoops for being a South African citizen program. For one thing income tax payers are very easy to cover as SARS simply makes the deduction of the BIG and effects refunds if necessary as they currently do, NGOs fighting for BIG coupled with the massive social security payout forms in place already cover another significant part of the population.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X