Solidarity members at ArcelorMittal plants across the country will receive wage increases in terms of a recent agreement.
The agreement, valid for a period of three years, was reached after four rounds of negotiations.
According to Marius Croucamp, head of the Metal Industry in Solidarity, employees at ArcelorMittal will receive a wage increase of either 6,2 per cent or 6,5 per cent this year, depending on the employee’s job level.
In addition, employees will in 2016 and 2017 receive an increase equal to the consumer price inflation rate, plus one per cent of the previous year’s remuneration.
In both years, the wage increase will be a minimum of 7 per cent, which may be renegotiated if consumer price inflation exceeds certain limits.
Various allowances for employees in the bargaining unit will be increased by the same percentage as their salaries. These include, among others, employees’ medical, shift, on-call and housing allowances.
According to Mr Croucamp, this year’s agreement will contribute to the retention of scarce skills in the company.
“There is uncertainty among the employees in the metal industry, mainly due to the current instability in the industry. Nonetheless, there is a huge shortage of skilled artisans in South Africa,” he said.
The agreement applies to ArcelorMittal employees in the bargaining unit and employed at the company’s branches in Pretoria, Durban, Vanderbijlpark, Newcastle, Vereeniging and Saldanha.
Solidarity represents some 3 000 employees at the company. The scheduled increases are welcomed by its members.
