Publications
Partners
Johannesburg - A worker died, six were injured, and nine arrested during country-wide strikes this week.
The engineering, gold, chemicals, and coal sectors were negotiating with employers for higher wages. During the engineering sector strike a worker died when he was hit by a car in Germiston, National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) spokesperson Castro Ngobese said on Friday.
Two people were injured when a supervisor at an engineering company in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, shot at striking protesters assaulting working employees on Friday, Gauteng police said.
The supervisor and the two protesters, who were taken to hospital, were arrested.
Four Numsa members were injured when police fired rubber bullets during a strike in Krugersdorp on Thursday.
There were also claims that police had harassed, intimidated, and shot at strikers in Bellville, Cape Town, and Germiston, west of Johannesburg.
Numsa and Cosatu condemned the "police brutality" and called on Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and National Police commissioner Bheki Cele to take "drastic action" against the policemen.
However, the Steel and Engineering Industries' Federation of SA (Seifsa) said pockets of strikers were moving from company to company to find and intimidate non-strikers, damaging property and trespassing.
Ekurhuleni metro police said nine Numsa members were arrested for public violence in Germiston on Thursday.
Constable Mashudu Phatela said they were burning tyres and throwing stones at passing motorists.
Over 117 000 workers in the metal and engineering sector downed tools on Monday in pursuit of between 10% and 13% wage increases. Employers were offering 7%.
Workers were striking in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, East London, and Cape Town. Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal workers held demonstrations on Monday, while workers in the Free State and Northern Cape started their work stoppage on Tuesday.
Numsa, which represents about 120 000 workers, was joined by five other trade unions - the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers' Union (Ceppwawu), the Metal and Electrical Workers' Union (Mewusa), United Association of SA (Uasa), Solidarity, and the SA Equity Workers' Association (Saewa). Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini on Wednesday said the engineering sector strike was only the beginning of workers' fight for a living wage.
XXX Strikes routine
Economist Chris Hart on Friday said strikes over wage negotiations were becoming routine, which suggested policy and regulation failure.
"The violence suggests that there is a lack of control which is not good for investment," he said.
"Labour instability does nothing for job creation; if anything it damages it from an investment point of view." Two "victims" arose from non-productivity during strikes - the customer, who ended up paying more, and the unemployed.
The protests also reduced South Africa's competitiveness with the rest of world. The solution was productive negotiations between unions and employers, Hart said.
"...but we (South Africa) are not there yet." About 5 000 Ceppwawu members went on strike on Tuesday over a salary dispute. The union wanted a 13% salary increase on the grounds of rising daily costs.
The gold and coal sectors declared disputes with their employees over wage negotiations.
The Chamber of Mines was negotiating on behalf of employers in both sectors. Workers in the gold sector threatened to go on strike next week if wage negotiations with the chamber came to a deadlock.
The National Union of Mineworkers (Num), Uasa, and Solidarity were representing unionised employees working for chamber member companies such as AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, and Goldfields.
The Num and Uasa hoped to raise the chamber's wage hike offer from 4.2% to 14%. Solidarity members wanted 12%.
Solidarity said it submitted the lower figure in light of the current production environment and 4.6% consumer price inflation. It felt the figure, although still above inflation, would help retain skilled employees.
Although inflation was at 4.6% workers faced hefty electricity and rates increases, food price increases, and the imminent introduction of road tolls.
The chamber recently said production in the gold mining industry had consistently declined and it faced pressure from the high costs of electricity, water, and fuel.
Chamber negotiator Elize Strydom said it had increased its offer to 5% for the lowest paid employees and 4.5% for the rest.
The coal sector started salary talks on Thursday. Coal companies have offered a 4.5% increase for the lowest category employees and 4.2% for all others.
A full-blown strike in the petroleum and pharmaceuticals sector will kick off on Monday, Ceppwawu said.
About 70 000 workers are expected to go on strike.
This would include members of the General Industries Workers' Union of SA and the Tissue and Allied Union.
Workers wanted a wage increase of 11% to 13% across-the-board and a minimum wage of R6 000 a month.
The engineering, gold, chemicals, and coal sectors were negotiating with employers for higher wages. During the engineering sector strike a worker died when he was hit by a car in Germiston, National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) spokesperson Castro Ngobese said on Friday.
Two people were injured when a supervisor at an engineering company in Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg, shot at striking protesters assaulting working employees on Friday, Gauteng police said.
The supervisor and the two protesters, who were taken to hospital, were arrested.
Four Numsa members were injured when police fired rubber bullets during a strike in Krugersdorp on Thursday.
There were also claims that police had harassed, intimidated, and shot at strikers in Bellville, Cape Town, and Germiston, west of Johannesburg.
Numsa and Cosatu condemned the "police brutality" and called on Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa and National Police commissioner Bheki Cele to take "drastic action" against the policemen.
However, the Steel and Engineering Industries' Federation of SA (Seifsa) said pockets of strikers were moving from company to company to find and intimidate non-strikers, damaging property and trespassing.
Ekurhuleni metro police said nine Numsa members were arrested for public violence in Germiston on Thursday.
Constable Mashudu Phatela said they were burning tyres and throwing stones at passing motorists.
Over 117 000 workers in the metal and engineering sector downed tools on Monday in pursuit of between 10% and 13% wage increases. Employers were offering 7%.
Workers were striking in Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, East London, and Cape Town. Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal workers held demonstrations on Monday, while workers in the Free State and Northern Cape started their work stoppage on Tuesday.
Numsa, which represents about 120 000 workers, was joined by five other trade unions - the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood, and Allied Workers' Union (Ceppwawu), the Metal and Electrical Workers' Union (Mewusa), United Association of SA (Uasa), Solidarity, and the SA Equity Workers' Association (Saewa). Cosatu president Sdumo Dlamini on Wednesday said the engineering sector strike was only the beginning of workers' fight for a living wage.
XXX Strikes routine
Economist Chris Hart on Friday said strikes over wage negotiations were becoming routine, which suggested policy and regulation failure.
"The violence suggests that there is a lack of control which is not good for investment," he said.
"Labour instability does nothing for job creation; if anything it damages it from an investment point of view." Two "victims" arose from non-productivity during strikes - the customer, who ended up paying more, and the unemployed.
The protests also reduced South Africa's competitiveness with the rest of world. The solution was productive negotiations between unions and employers, Hart said.
"...but we (South Africa) are not there yet." About 5 000 Ceppwawu members went on strike on Tuesday over a salary dispute. The union wanted a 13% salary increase on the grounds of rising daily costs.
The gold and coal sectors declared disputes with their employees over wage negotiations.
The Chamber of Mines was negotiating on behalf of employers in both sectors. Workers in the gold sector threatened to go on strike next week if wage negotiations with the chamber came to a deadlock.
The National Union of Mineworkers (Num), Uasa, and Solidarity were representing unionised employees working for chamber member companies such as AngloGold Ashanti, Harmony Gold, and Goldfields.
The Num and Uasa hoped to raise the chamber's wage hike offer from 4.2% to 14%. Solidarity members wanted 12%.
Solidarity said it submitted the lower figure in light of the current production environment and 4.6% consumer price inflation. It felt the figure, although still above inflation, would help retain skilled employees.
Although inflation was at 4.6% workers faced hefty electricity and rates increases, food price increases, and the imminent introduction of road tolls.
The chamber recently said production in the gold mining industry had consistently declined and it faced pressure from the high costs of electricity, water, and fuel.
Chamber negotiator Elize Strydom said it had increased its offer to 5% for the lowest paid employees and 4.5% for the rest.
The coal sector started salary talks on Thursday. Coal companies have offered a 4.5% increase for the lowest category employees and 4.2% for all others.
A full-blown strike in the petroleum and pharmaceuticals sector will kick off on Monday, Ceppwawu said.
About 70 000 workers are expected to go on strike.
This would include members of the General Industries Workers' Union of SA and the Tissue and Allied Union.
Workers wanted a wage increase of 11% to 13% across-the-board and a minimum wage of R6 000 a month.
