No end in sight for plastic strike

The plastic strike which started last October is still continuing.

Unions and employers have not been able to reach an agreement.

Phakamile Hlubi, spokesperson for National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), one of the unions leading the strike, says they have not been able to reach an agreement because, at their last engagement, they were on the verge of agreeing when the employer tried to impose two changes to the agreement which caused the talks to grind to a halt.

“They tried to impose an aerial determination on the wages.

“What employers want is that workers from outlying areas, who work in companies outside of major metros, like Cape Town, Gauteng and Durban, must be paid less than their counterparts.

“They also tried to impose a clause where workers would get an increase on the minimum rate, and not on the actual wage they are earning.

“These two issues caused us to deadlock and the meeting collapsed,” says Hlubi.

Hlubi went on to say workers should not be denied their full pay just because they live in outlying areas as this violates the principle of equal pay for work of equal value.

She added workers must receive an increase on the basis of what they earn, not on the minimum rate in the sector.

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“To allow this would mean they are being abused and exploited and we reject this,” says Hlubi.

Meanwhile, the workers have been feeling the effects of the strike and Hlubi described the situation as dire.

“For every day the strike drags on, they are denied wages.

“We have intervened by providing them with a bit of financial support during the Christmas period to try and mitigate the harmful effects of the strike,” says Hlubi.

At the time of publication there were no talks scheduled between the employer and the unions in the near future.