Numsa to gauge member support for a strike at Gautrain
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will be balloting its members employed at Gautrain to decide whether to proceed with strike action.
Wage negotiations between Numsa and the Bombela Operating Company (BOC), which manages the Gautrain, have deadlocked, with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration having granted the union a certificate to strike.
Should the union decide to embark on strike action, it must give BOC 48 hours’ notice.
Numsa has demanded a 7% wage increase for Gautrain employees, while BOC has offered a 4.2% increase.
The union says that, while BOC uses the consumer price index (CPI) as a benchmark for wage increases, the cost of living in South Africa has “skyrocketed far beyond the CPI”.
The union points out that State-owned Eskom tariffs have surged by 12.7%, with more hikes looming; fuel prices are R21/l, driving up transport and food costs; and a basic basket of food now exceeds R5 000.
“Meanwhile, the lowest-paid Gautrain worker, a cleaner, earns about R9 000. How are they expected to absorb these increases with a meagre 4.2% offer?
“This is not just a wage dispute. It’s a question of dignity and fairness. The demands we are making are reasonable given that the cost of living is extremely high. This is why we say, CPI increases are not enough – workers at Gautrain deserve a living wage,” the union states.
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