A metal industry wage agreement was signed this summer after a one-month strike. The agreement will apply for the next 3 years, considered to be a very long period in this sector. The agreement gives salary increases of between 8 and 10% per year. The unions (lead by NUMSA) also won provisions over recourse to temporary work. But the agreement also highlights long running differences between the two employers confederations the SEIFSA and the NEASA. The SEIFSA signatory supports an agreement that sets out a calendar of wage rises that businesses can factor in and that then immunizes them during the agreement’s term from further negotiations at the company level, an area where industrial relations can quickly deteriorate. The NEASA body has started legal proceeding to prevent the agreement’s extension to non-signatories.
Main provisions in the agreement. The agreement was signed after a one-month strike and following mediation is valid until June 30, 2017. It primarily provides for wage rises over 3 years:
- From July 1, 2014: a general rise of 8% for those who work in the highest category (grade A): the minimum wage will go from 56.8 Zar (4 euros) to 60.57 Zar (4.25 euros) / and a rise of 10% for those who work in the lowest category (grade H): the minimum wage will go from 30.61 Zar (2.14 euros) to 33.67 Z
Do you have information to share with us?