Press statement issued by the Congress of South African Trade Unions.

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NATIONAL UNION OF METALWORKERS OF
SOUTH AFRICA

153 Bree Street (cnr. Becker), P.O. Box 260483
Newton, Excom 2023
Johannesburg, Tel: 011-8322030/9
2001, Fax: 011-8336408
E-mail: [email protected] 011-8336330

NUMSA PRESS RELEASE
– FOR IMMEDIATE USE

The
strike will effectively end tomorrow 27/07/2001 starting with
the first shift at 6H00 in the morning.

The following are the details of the proposed settlement
agreement:

Wages and benefits :

9% wage increase effected now for the lowest paid
workers and 1% effected in January 2002.
7% wage increase effected now for the highest paid
workers and 0,5% effected in January 2002.
Fourmonths paid maternity leave.

The unions accept on behalf of workers that this agreement
we have signed constitutes the outcome of hard and extensive
negotiations which led to the most successful strike action. We
believe that the agreement will go a long way to addressing the
short and long-term needs of workers. The agreement will
create certainty for workers and improve their purchasing
power.

This victory will boost morale and show to all workers that
they have power to change their wages and working
conditions..

It will directly improve the wages of workers and enhance
their benefits. The agreement is important in mobilising and
increasing their resource capacity to purchase goods and
services in the local economy. In this regard workers will have
a share in the profits of the company because maximum
returns benefited few company executives. This agreement will
collectively empower workers to take a stake in the company
and absorb the consequences of wage-cuts. It will bring social
and economic justice for all workers in the company. It is a
move from the painful experience of wage restraint to the
beginning of the equitable distribution of incomes. It is our
responsibility in this regard to renew our determination to
address the company’s legacy of non-commitment to the
betterment of working conditions by settling at improved
wages above the inflation rate.

The agreement is in pursuance of our strategic goal in
advancing towards a real workplace democracy and ensuring
that workers have access not only to decent wages but
increased benefits that will improve their lives. This will help in
impacting positively in labour performance in the company.

The wage agreement in this case is in the best interest of the
workers. We always maintained that workers are not a cost
to the company but add value to the company and the
economy. We are more than delighted that the agreement will
not decrease the workers living standards but add more value
to the economy.

We also occupy the moral high ground after the company was
interdicted successfully on the questions of the unilateral
implementation of the wage increases. The order compelled
Eskom to withdraw its unilateral implementation of the wage
increase. We hope the company and the government will learn
a lesson on this case.

The strike action demonstrated that workers can not be
treated with utter contempt. It proved that the company can
not use its power to flout the accepted statutory dispute
resolution procedure and undermine the workers constitutional
right to strike. We hope in future the company will not use its
control of the administrative system to impose wage increases
with which it hoped will undercut the unions demands and so
demoralize and divide the workers that on strike.

We are delighted by the overwhelming support that the strike
received from the majority of the workers. The success of the
strike demonstrated workers preparedness to fight for their
working conditions at the company.

We believe that in any wage negotiations compromise is may
be necessary in order to break the deadlock and such talks
should be based on fairness, transparency and proper vision
to deal with sensitive issues in that way parties can able to
resolve impasses without strike actions. This is critical, in
order to ensure an acceptable labour market regime.

We trust and hope that the Eskom company in future wage
negotiations would not adopt the same paternalistic and
parochial approach to the wage talks.

The unions salutes all workers who took part in the strike and
congratulates them on a great victory.

For more information contact Dumisa Ntuli at 689 1700
or cell 0829737282.

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Contact 082-821-7456 Patrick Craven or Moloto Mothapo for further comment.

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