NUMSA
*NUMSA Statement, 29 July 2010* *Deadlocked Motor Wage Negotiations*The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) representing 70,000 workers working in garages, components, workshops and automotives sectors has been engaged in prolonged wage negotiations with both the stubbornly and big-headed Retailers Motor Industry (RMI) and Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) for wage demands for 2010 as per national bargaining agreement in line with the Labour Relations Act.
The first phases of the negotiations began on the week of the 17 -- 18 June 2010, 2 July 2010 and the second phase of the negotiations in the form of mediations happened on the week of the 29 -- 30 June 2010. The last phase of the mediation which culminated into a deadlock happened on Wednesday 28 July 2010. These negotiations have been taking place within the context of the deepening failures of the capitalism and neoliberal policies to resolve the persisting challenges of poverty, racialised development and unemployment amongst the vast majority of our people, affecting mostly black working class and the youth.
Our wage demands were consolidated in March 2010 during our National Bargaining Conference (NBC) for the year under-review consciously understanding the deepening plight and sufferings of the industry workers as evidenced by global financial crisis and racialised income, and a widening gap between the lowest paid worker and a senior manager.
During the negotiations sessions we observed with disdain the intentions of the motor ruling oligarchy intentions to retain and reproduce racialised and poverty wages in an effort to consign workers to the same old apartheid employment conditions.
Our demands to RMI and FRA are consistent with the African National Congress (ANC's) electoral commitments of creating decent work and sustainable livelihoods for the workers and the poor. Therefore our demands should be located and understood within the context that RMI and FRA are monopolies in their respective sectors, and both generates huge profits margins that are off-loaded to their imperial headquarters in London and Frankfurt.
Our core demands:
* Demand *20%* wage increment across the board on Actual;
* Demand that R20-00 minimum for the lowest paid in all sectors;
* Demand that Night Shift allowance to be at 20%;
* Demand that Afternoon Shift allowance to be at 15%;
* Demand 40hrs per week with full-pay;
* Demand Sunday work to be paid at a double;
* Demand Six (6) months full paid maternity leave;
* Demand a 1 year bargaining agreement; 1 September 2010 -- 30 June 2011
* Demand prohibition and banning of labour brokers;
* Demand that Cashiers to be at grade 5;
* Demand removal of area differentials;
* Demand four (4) weeks severance pay for every year of service
without limitations or ceiling; And
* Demand employer contribution of 70% for retirement and medical
benefits.
These demands by workers are consistent with the Living Wage Campaign as
led by Cosatu which calls for 'decent work is equal to decent pay' for
all. We demand that RMI and FRA to concede to these legitimate core
demands of workers. The failure by RMI and FRA to consider and agree to
these demands will compel workers to join public service workers and
embark on an industrial mass action as part of exerting pressure to the
RMI and FRA, and ruling class, to give workers what is due to them.
The Capitalist bosses should be conscious of the fact that toyi-toyi did not end in 1994 and our demands will never be muzzled by any charm or blind loyalty in the interest of the country or for some re-invention of magic or legacy of one of our first democratic head of state. We are ready and agitated to use our mobilisational power to withhold our labour 'power' until our demands are met by the exploiters and profiteers.
*Contact Castro Ngobese National Spokesperson -- 073 299 1595* -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
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