Steel industry does not foresee strike action following wage negotiations

JOHANNESBURG - The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa says it is confident that there will not be a strike in the steel sector because of wage negotiations.

In the first round of negotiations, NUMSA proposed that the current agreement be extended with an improvement of 1% which is to be added to the 6 percent of the first year of the existing agreement.

This means workers would get an increase of 7 percent for the first year and 6 percent for the 2nd and 3rd year.

Lucio Trentini, CEO of Seifsa, the sector’s largest employer body, says the first round of talks has been encouraging and unions understand the struggles of the sector.

He says despite the sector grappling with several issues, reasonable demands can be met by employers.

However, NUMSA has warned that if worker demands are not met, they will be mobilised to be ready for any eventuality.