South Africa’s engineering and metal workers union has rejected a 10 percent pay-raise offer from employers, calling on its 220,000 striking members in the sector to intensify strike action.<\/p>\n
Irvin Jim, general secretary of the National Union of Metalworkers in South Africa (NUMSA), the country’s biggest trade union, said the workers would continue with indefinite strike action.<\/p>\n
“We are making a very clear statement that the strike continues and we call on our members to intensify the strike,” Jim said.<\/p>\n
“Should the employers continue with their reckless shenanigans and unreasonable demands, we might be left with no\u00a0option but to call for targeted solidarity in all our sectors. This is seriously under consideration.”<\/p>\n
Workers have already been off work for the past two weeks.<\/p>\n
Employers have offered a 10 percent increase this year, 9.5 percent in 2015 and 9.0 percent the year after that, but NUMSA has dismissed the offer and threatened to drag in 100,000 NUMSA members in other sectors not on strike.<\/p>\n
The strike, which began only a week after the end of industrial action in the platinum sector, has hit companies\u00a0supplying components to the car industry, with General\u00a0Motors closing its assembly plant in the southern city of\u00a0Port Elizabeth.<\/p>\n