Johannesburg - The strike in the motor industry will continue until workers' demands have been met, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said on Thursday.
"The turn-up on the first day of the strike was encouraging. Our members will continue with the strike until the bosses meet our demands. We are not backing off," said Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese.
He said the union and the employer would meet at 14:00 on Thursday in an attempt to resolve the strike.
"We (just) hope the meeting is not a strategy to move the focus of union leaders away from the strike."
He said that although they were happy with the strike so far,they were disturbed about the arrest of 12 of their members in KwaZulu-Natal.
The workers were arrested near a Durban petrol station on Wednesday for alleged public violence and possession of dangerous weapons, said Colonel Jay Naicker.
Numsa KwaZulu-Natal regional chairperson Basil Cele was among them and was expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Numsa members working at petrol stations, workshops, vehicle component manufacturers and dealerships went on strike on Wednesday, demanding a 20% across-the-board wage hike and a 40-hour working week.
The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) and Fuel Retailers' Association (FRA) have offered them a 6% wage increase.
"The turn-up on the first day of the strike was encouraging. Our members will continue with the strike until the bosses meet our demands. We are not backing off," said Numsa spokesperson Castro Ngobese.
He said the union and the employer would meet at 14:00 on Thursday in an attempt to resolve the strike.
"We (just) hope the meeting is not a strategy to move the focus of union leaders away from the strike."
He said that although they were happy with the strike so far,they were disturbed about the arrest of 12 of their members in KwaZulu-Natal.
The workers were arrested near a Durban petrol station on Wednesday for alleged public violence and possession of dangerous weapons, said Colonel Jay Naicker.
Numsa KwaZulu-Natal regional chairperson Basil Cele was among them and was expected to appear in the Pinetown Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Numsa members working at petrol stations, workshops, vehicle component manufacturers and dealerships went on strike on Wednesday, demanding a 20% across-the-board wage hike and a 40-hour working week.
The Retail Motor Industry (RMI) and Fuel Retailers' Association (FRA) have offered them a 6% wage increase.