DATE: 01 August 2005
Johannesburg
NUMSA PRESS RELEASE – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VICTORY AS HIGHVELD STEEL WORKERS RETURN TO WORK.
Over 2000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) at Highveld Steel company in Witbank will return to work today 01/08/2005. This comes after the company conceded defeat and agreed to the following :
Wage increase of 6% to all workers,
Increase of 5% to housing allowance,
Wages will be backdated from the 1st July, 2005,
To discuss conditions attached to incentive bonuses.
This put an end to the three days effective and successful strike action. The strike was a great victory and relief for workers. It was a good end because the wage increases are above the current inflation rate. It has really become fashionable for employers to make excuses about inflation rather than rewarding workers better. So far , the strike was a best remedy.
We only hope and trust that employers will learn a great deal that workers cannot accept shameful wage increases. There was no justifiable reasons why the company should pay meager wages when there was a net profit of R119 billion and escalation of directors fees to 273% on average , from R19 400 per director in 2003 to R74 400 in 2004. We feel now that executive directors must be held accountable for whooping salaries.
Workers have remedied the situation because the company has since been insensitive to better wage increases. Wages in the company have not kept pace with the living standard of workers. Wages in the steel sector have fallen consistently. Evidence points to weak managers and directors who always blame workers for their own mistakes of mishandling finances. It has been proven that labour costs do not account for the bulk of the costs in companies. Most of the companies failed to address skewed lavish salaries of managers and directors. We have to modify this situation comprehensively if South African firms want to see progress and development in a long term. We will continue to win the wage battle.
For more information contact Dumisa Ntuli @ 689-1700 or cell 0829737282