Vol.65/No.36
September 24, 2001
Autoworkers settle strike in South Africa
BY T.J. FIGUEROA
A three-week strike by 21,000 members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) was settled at the end of August. NUMSA officials ended the walkout, which had shut down plants owned by Toyota, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Volkswagen, Delta, Nissan and Ford, after a government mediation body proposed a 9 percent wage increase, backdated to July. On August 30, the union and the employers' association issued a joint statement agreeing to the settlement.
NUMSA had originally demanded a 12 percent increase, then dropped its demand to 10 percent. Inflation in South Africa is running between 6 and 7 percent. Unionists stood firm in the face of employer threats led by DaimlerChrysler to move production out of the country if the strike was not ended.
Meanwhile, about 5,000 NUMSA members struck tire plants, demanding a 10 percent wage increase in response to the companies' offer of 7.5 percent.
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