Related Articles
Top Stories
May 27 2012 11:21
There's a price war raging between South Africa's cellphone networks after Cell C lowered the rates of its prepaid calls by more than 34%.
May 27 2012 13:09
The oversupply of golf estates has claimed another victim.
May 28 2012 07:53
The City of Cape Town has spent R175m running the Myciti bus service since the Soccer World Cup compared to an income of R35m, a report says.
Johannesburg - Wage negotiations in the
industrial chemicals sector of the National Bargaining Council for the
Chemical Industry (NBCCI) have now reached breaking point following a final
wage offer from employers in the sector, according to the trade union
Solidarity.
Solidarity and the other trade unions in the sector must now get a
mandate from members for this offer.
This comes after the failure of the mediation session that was resumed
last week by a commissioner of the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation
and Arbitration (CCMA). An agreement could still not be reached. Employers
are now offering a final wage increase of 8%. However, Solidarity is
demanding a wage increase of consumer price inflation plus 2%.
Solidarity has already started its revised mandate process. Meanwhile,
trade unions are already in possession of a strike certificate, which was
issued to trade unions at the end of June. The certificate makes provision
for a protected strike in the sector. If trade union members reject the
final offer, a 48-hour strike notice can be issued.
According to Solidarity spokesperson Jaco Kleynhans, various large
employers, including Afrox, Sasol, Foskor and Omnia, are involved in the
wage negotiations and if a strike in the sector goes ahead, the supply of
products such as gas, fertiliser, certain paints and various chemicals could
come under pressure.
"The latest offer is still not an improvement on the current level of
inflation and the stubbornness of employers could eventually have serious
repercussions on the sector," Kleynhans said.
Meanwhile a wage agreement could still not be reached in the petroleum
sector of the NBCCI. A further mediation session still has to be scheduled.
-
I-Net Bridge