ATTEMPTS AT ENDING THE METAL INDUSTRY STRIKE FAIL

The bilateral negotiations between the SEIFSA and Numsa negotiating teams over this past week-end and yesterday, aimed at exploring possible options to bring the current metal industry wage dispute and strike to an end, were unsuccessful.

David Carson, SEIFSA's executive director, said yesterday that "the differences between the two parties at this stage is substantial and it appears unlikely that an early resolution to the strike is possible".

He said that the employer negotiating team would report back to the main employer group at a meeting on Wednesday afternoon and that it was possible that a further negotiating meeting would be convened shortly thereafter.

Statement issued by SEIFSA Executive Director, David Carson, July 12 2011

UPDATE ON THIS WEEK-END's NEGOTIATIONS AIMED AT  BRINGING THE STRIKE TO AN END

July 11 2011

A lot has happened over the past 72 hours and crucially it appears that we are on the verge of concluding an agreement with Numsa to bring the strike to an end.

The following is a brief summary of the developments that have brought us to this point:

1.  The Numsa strike commenced on Monday with membership marches on the SEIFSA Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Cape Town offices. These protests evolved into full-blown strike action and then rapidly escalated and degenerated into widespread violence, intimidation and damage to property. Many member companies implemented lock-out action against the Numsa membership.

2. On Friday morning SEIFSA directed a strongly worded letter to the General Secretary of Numsa calling for an immediate cessation to the violence and intimidation associated with their strike.

3. The office, in consultation with the SEIFSA legal advisers, formulated and issued an urgent membership guideline on how to launch urgent interdict applications to prevent further acts of intimidation, violence and trespass at company premises. Certain larger member companies are well advanced in launching these court applications.

4. The Numsa negotiator took the opportunity, at an unrelated meeting on Thursday, and approached the office to enquire whether SEIFSA was willing to meet completely off-the-record and to talk about possible talks between Numsa and SEIFSA. The Bargaining Council, SEIFSA and Numsa agreed to convene a bilateral meeting of the SEIFSA and Numsa leadership - where these senior leaders could engage on the current impasse, the strike and lock-outs and the urgent need for an immediate end to the intimidation and violence experienced so far.

5. This leadership engagement took place on Friday evening. Numsa was represented by its Deputy-General Secretary, a Vice-President and most of the National Office Bearers. The industry facilitators (Gavin Hartford and Thulani Mthiyane) were also present - as observers.

6. A very encouraging approach was adopted by all parties present. A high level commitment to the cessation of the violence and the conclusion of a mutually acceptable agreement was clearly evident. 

7. The joint SEIFSA - Numsa leadership, following discussion, agreed unanimously that their respective negotiating teams would be given a firm mandate to:

• Convene the following day (Saturday); and
• ‘Explore every possible option, choice and mechanism aimed at formulating a different set of options to those that have formed the focus of the negotiations for the past two months'. It was further agreed that ‘...there must be a joint willingness to move away from the respective positions in an endeavour to find one another'.

8. The following forward process was agreed at this joint leadership meeting:

• The SEIFSA and Numsa negotiating teams would meet on Saturday (under the guidance and management of the facilitators) and recommence the negotiations - but, in accordance with the joint leadership mandate that they move away from their previous positions and make a very real attempt to seek consensus on the remaining issues on the bargaining table.
• A new set of options for final settlement should be formulated and that the Numsa negotiating team would present these to a Numsa National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Sunday.
• The negotiating teams would reconvene on Monday morning (10h00 at the MEIBC offices) to receive feedback from the Numsa NEC and (hopefully) conclude the negotiations.
• A meeting of all the trade unions and non-affiliated employer parties would be convened on Tuesday to receive a report-back of the bilateral engagement and to obtain their buy-in, if possible.
• Whatever emerged from this process would be presented to the SEIFSA Council at a special meeting to be convened for Wednesday afternoon.
• Final agreement would be achieved and the strike and lockout would be brought to an end.

9. As directed, the Numsa and SEIFSA negotiating teams met and, acting in accordance with the new direction, explored all options and tried, wherever possible, to move away from their former firmly held positions. These intense and difficult negotiations continued into Saturday evening and are scheduled to continue into Monday and Tuesday.

10. A crucial meeting of the SEIFSA Council will be held at the Johannesburg Country Club at 14h00 on Wednesday, 13 July 2011.

Source: www.seifsa.co.za

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