Numsa accused of ‘back door’ negotiations
Union approached individual employees
THE RETAIL motor industry has accused the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) of undermining the centralised bargaining process for a new three-year agreement for the industry by engaging in “back door” negotiations with individual employers.
Jakkie Olivier, the chief executive of the Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI), which represents 19 000 businesses that collectively employ 300 000 people, claimed Numsa was negotiating at a centralised bargaining level while at the same time trying to engage with employers at plant level, which could not be allowed.
Olivier said the RMI had conveyed the message to Numsa to stop this two-tier bargaining and let the RMI know in which forum the union wanted to negotiate.
“These back door negotiations are not helping anyone and undermining the centralised bargaining process. It is delaying and frustrating the process and results in unnecessary delays so workers can’t get their increases,” he said.
Numsa general secretary Irvin Jim countered by stressing the RMI did not represent Numsa members and could not tell the union who it could speak to. “We do what is in the interests of workers,” he said.
Interaction Jim declined to comment on the reaction Numsa received from its interaction with individual companies. “It’s at a very sensitive stage of the process and anything can happen, even a strike,” he said. Jim confirmed Numsa had not given the RMI any notice of strike action and was still consulting its members and meeting employers.
A certificate of non-resolution was issued to Numsa earlier this month during a negotiation session with the RMI, which allows the union to give the industry 48 hours notice of a strike by its members. The certificate of non resolution was issued to Numsa following several dispute meetings with the RMI.
Numsa had declared a dispute and a deadlock in its negotiations with the RMI at the motor industry bargaining council in July.
Numsa’s final demand is a wage increase of 9 percent in the first year of a three-year agreement, with wage hikes of 8 percent in each of the following two years. The RMI has offered a wage increase of 7 percent in each year of the agreement.
The automotive component manufacturing sector has offered a wage increase of 8.5 percent in the first year, 7.5 percent in the second and 7 percent in the third year.
Olivier said no progress had been made in resolving the dispute during a negotiation session with Numsa on Monday. He said a fixed date had not been set on when the parties would meet again.
“But we have got to meet again if we are to resolve the dispute. The process started in April,” he said.
The previous three-year agreement between the RMI and Numsa expired at the end of August. Any new agreement reached between the parties cannot be backdated.
The Automotive Manufacturers Employers’ Organisation and Numsa last month agreed on a 10 percent wage increase in the first year of a three-year agreement with an 8 percent wage hike in each of the following two years.
The settlement between the SA Tyre Manufacturing Conference and Numsa was for an 8.5 percent wage increase in the first year and wage hikes of 8 percent in each of the following two years.