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Mercedes-Benz strike set to end

Pretoria - Thousands of striking workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in East London are expected to return to work after the company obtained a court interdict against their protest on Monday.

National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) national treasurer Mphumzi Maqungo said the union would uphold the court decision.

He said lunch-hour pickets had degenerated into a protest on Friday, following provocation by the company.

“The strike action was imposed on them (the workers) after serious provocation and threats by the employer to subject all workers into a kangaroo-style disciplinary process for picketing. We will never allow our members to be bullied for exercising their democratic right to embark on a picket,” he said.

“We fully support the demands of our members. We call on the management to re-open doors of engagement in order to settle the dispute.”

The Daily Dispatch reported earlier that the car manufacturer was expected to approach the court if its 1 600 workers at the East London plant did not return to work by the end of Monday.

The workers' strike brought production to a halt. Mercedes-Benz had not experienced a strike in more than 24 years, the Daily Dispatch reported.

The strike came amid tensions about the company’s mooted plans to outsource its logistics department, which it said were not finalised.

There was also contention regarding the workers’ transport allowances, according to a Numsa statement.

“We strongly believe that these legitimate demands can be resolved or addressed by the Mercedes-Benz oligarchy, given the fact that these demands are a dominant and fundamental feature in our collective bargaining agreements,” said Numsa.

The union’s leadership was in discussion with the workers on Monday afternoon in a bid to map the next course of action.

Comment could not immediately be obtained from Mercedes-Benz SA.


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