Entering the second week of the strike

ENTERING THE SECOND WEEK OF THE STRIKE

 

Dear NEASA member

 

We are now entering the second week of this strike.

 

All of you are are affected by this, in some or other way. Approximately sixty percent of our members are directly affected by the strike, and in the case of about fifty percent of those employers affected, violence and intimidation play a role; in some cases extremely severe. The damage to the economy is in the region of R300 million a day.

 

I can only imagine the frustration, irritation and concern this is causing to you; but this is exactly why the strike is taking place: to harm your business and cause as much damage as possible in order to force you to make the concessions the unions are demanding.

 

You must understand that this is not only a strike for better conditions of living; there's much more to it – there's a huge political agenda. Those driving the strike has a socialist agenda; this is not what I think; this is what they say. The failure of the free market model is the ultimate goal.

 

To bring an end to this strike is actually very simple; the demand is to give NUMSA and the unions that follow them a double digit increase, plus a R1000 house subsidy, plus a wide range of other concessions.

 

A 10 percent increase alone won't do. SEIFSA did that on Thursday and it was rejected.

 

WHAT IS NEASA'S POSITION?

 

Two weeks ago NEASA visited eight locations countrywide in five days in order to obtain a mandate from employers. Each and every one of these meetings were extremely well attended. Thank you for being there and giving us your input, ideas and mandate.

 

The overwhelming mandate that we received from our members were the following:

* an eight percent increase – with no wage spread. This offer however is subject to:-

* an agreement on the reduction of lower entry level wages (for newcomers) in order to stimulate job creation; and

* the total revamp of the exemption procedure in order to gain flexibility, without which the Industry will be continued to be strangled.

 

The general view is that the Industry cannot continue on the road to destruction it currently finds itself and that if an agreement is reached on the basis of a high wage increase only, it will end the strike but the hardship and the decline in the Industry will further accelerate.

 

To view a NEASA press release on this topic, issued earlier today, CLICK HERE.

 

In the meantime you take the brunt of this attack on your livelihood. Stand strong; you know where your HELP comes from.

 

Please continue to give us your input and views.

 

Regards

Gerhard Papenfus