Johnathan Paoli
THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) said in a statement it has successfully negotiated an 8% wage increase for workers at Menzies Aviation following lengthy wage talks with the employer.
The settlement in wage negotiations followed a process that started in March and concluded on 17 July.
The conditions of the agreement consists of an 8% increase for workers who’s rate does not exceed R40 an hour and a 7.25% increase for workers earning between R40 and R50 per hour, the union said in the statement on Tuesday.
Workers falling under sectoral determination, in this case being the cleaners, received a 1% top up to their 6.5% increase they got back in March, which is a total increase of 7.5% for those who earn below R50 per hour.
Lastly, a 6.8% increase was negotiated for workers who earn above the R50 mark, as the focus was to negotiate for bigger increases for workers who are lower paid.
The duration of the agreement is one year effective from the 1 May up until the 30 April 2024, but backdated to 17 July therefore workers can expect the back pay to start rolling out in the next payroll cycle in August.
In line with section 198(B) of the Labour Relations Act, it was also agreed upon the immediate transfer of fixed term contracts to permanent contracts for all workers who have been in their respective positions for at least three months or more. The Union stated that at least 80 workers will benefit from this change.
“This is a major achievement for the union, because it will bring dignity, increased benefits and most importantly, job security,” NUMSA General Secretary, Irvin Jim said.
The agreement also included the facilitation of an ‘Acting allowance’ which will be paid to any employee acting in a position for more than seven days, receiving up to 25% of their basic salary and it cannot exceed more than R3000 per month, and the amount cannot be greater than the current rate paid for the position.
In addition, Numsa also negotiated an improvement in the ‘Long Service Award’ to ensure the rewarding of long-term workers by employers, starting from 5 years and ending at 20 years of service.
Outstanding issues yet to be resolved by the union include: converting Permanent Hourly Pay (PHP) of workers to Permanent Monthly Pay (PMP); the illegality of employees being transferred from Swissport in March 2023 having undergone a change from PMP to PHP unilaterally in their terms and conditions of employment; and dealing with the demand for a transport allowance.
“We are committed to resolving these outstanding issues in a manner which is beneficial to members,” Jim concluded in the statement.
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