Tebogo Msimanga |
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) welcomed the settlement agreement which has been signed between itself and Hulamin, an aluminium supplier and exporter based in Kwa-Zulu Natal. NUMSA members went on strike on the 10th of July to demand an increase in the medical aid and provident fund contribution from the employer.
NUMSA General Secretary Irvin Jim said they are pleased that they were able to find each other on these two crucial issues.
Jim added that part of the dispute which triggered the strike was the fact that we wanted the employer to equalise the pension and provident fund contributions. “Our members demanded that the bosses must ensure that they equalise the contribution by increasing it from 7,9% to 12,5%.
The strike helped to secure this demand because instead of the employer phasing in this increase over 3 years, our members have secured an immediate increase”.
Jim explained that on a medical aid issue, NUMSA members were aggrieved because their contribution to the medical aid was very high, and they had to absorb all the increases on their own. “The employer had capped its contribution at 40% and workers were contributing 60%. Because of the strike, the employer has agreed to increase the medical aid portion to 49,5%”.
He further said these gains would not have been possible without the revolutionary discipline displayed by NUMSA members at Hulamin.
