Strike season expected to cause disruption as parties gear up
Disruption of the health sector looms this week as the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) plans to take its members at the National Health Laboratories Service (NHLS) out on an indefinite strike over wages as from Wednesday.
Management will be working with provincial health departments to minimise the effect of the strike on health laboratories. The NHLS employs about 7,000 people and is responsible for more than 80% of the country’s pathology diagnostic services which could be thrown into disarray as a result of the strike.
The union and management deadlocked last week over a wage increase, with the NHLS offering a 3% and Nehawu demanding a 7.3% hike.
A strike by the 143,000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) in the engineering sector could also be on the cards and will be weighed up by the union’s central committee, which meets the whole week to discuss this and other issues.
Numsa is consulting workers on whether they want to go on strike over wages.
There have been four failed rounds of wage negotiations, with employers offering 5%-6% and Numsa demanding a 15% increase across the board. The union has a certificate from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration to go on strike.
Should a strike take place it will hit foundries and the electronics and telecommunications, plastic and fabrication industries. Companies in the machinery and equipment, automotive components sector, electrical engineering, basic metals, heavy and light engineering, gate and fence, and construction engineering will also be hit, which will delay work at the Medupi and Kusile power stations.
The ANC will be continuing its attempts to unify the warring factions in the Western Cape.
The party’s national working committee returns to the province on Sunday and Monday in a further bid to resolve infighting. This follows last Monday’s talks between national leaders, including President Jacob Zuma and ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe, and the provincial executive committee.
The decision by the Western Cape committee to disband its biggest region, Dullah Omar, which includes the Cape Town metro, has fuelled tensions. The region is understood to be backing Nkosazana DlaminiZuma for the ANC presidency.
The factional battles are seen as a proxy fight in the race for the ANC presidency between Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Dlamini-Zuma.
The DA is also eyeing the 2019 election. DA leader Mmusi Maimane will continue his #Change19 Tour, the party’s precursor to its 2019 campaign.