Johannesburg - The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has confirmed having secured an above-inflation wage increase of 8% across the board for all workers at Gautrain.
The news comes following intense negotiations that ensured that employees affiliated with the union enjoy maximum benefits for their labour at a time when increases have been below inflation for a long time due to the stagnant economy.
According to the union’s general secretary, Irvin Jim, employees were happy with the outcome, which secured them an above-inflation increase, with the CPI standing at 6.9%.
He said the union had been engaged in wage talks with Gautrain management since April this year, with a reported deadlock towards the end of the negotiations in June.
‘’Our members balloted for a strike on Friday, but fortunately, management requested a meeting over the weekend and made an offer to settle this round of wage talks,’’ Jim said.
In a statement, the union broke down the agreement as follows: the agreement comes with an 8% wage increase across the board; housing allowance has been increased by 10% to R1210; transport allowance increases by 5% to R105; the KPI bonus will increase by R500 to R9000; night shift allowance is R35 per hour; and the Gautrain staff card will remain in place and continue to be used from home to work. No worker will have to pay to travel to and from work on the Gautrain.
The union said the agreement is a one-year agreement valid from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
‘’Numsa welcomes the agreement because it resolves the burning issues that sparked the dispute with the employer. We secured an above-inflation increase of 8% at a time when most employers are not granting any increases, and we secured a double-digit percent increase on housing allowance.
‘’Initially, the employer wanted to abolish the housing allowance, but we managed to retain and increase it. We also managed to persuade the employer to reinstate the staff cards for all employees.’’
‘’This is a positive development because our members would have been forced to pay to use the Gautrain when travelling to and from work, and this issue almost made workers resort to strike action,’’ Jim said.
The Star