22 June 2021
SEIFSA TABLES THREE YEAR WAGE OFFER, ON MINIMUMS LINKED TO A SPECIAL PHASE-IN DISPENSATION FOR INDUSTRY
Negotiations on the 21st June held between SEIFSA representing the 19 affiliated Employer Organisations, NUMSA, Solidarity, UASA, MEWUSA and the SAEWA at the MEIBC, facilitated by a Senior CCMA Commissioner, ended with SEIFSA tabling a three year wage deal, on minimums linked to a fifteen year special phase-in dispensation for all employers in the industry who may be paying below the current Main Agreement rates as signed off between the five trade unions referred to above and the nineteen Employer Associations affiliated to SEIFSA.
The wage model envisages wage increase in year 3 being linked to CPI; year 2 also being linked to CPI and year 1 providing for a continuation of the current wage rates as agreed in 2020, which will set the benchmark for companies should they elect to participate on the special phase-in dispensation.
Importantly, wage increases in years 2 and year 3 will be calculated on minimum rates which supports the principal embodied in the four pillars presented in the opening round of wage negotiations which envisages wages being linked to duration, which in turn is linked to a special phase-in dispensation which ultimately has the end goal of achieving gazettal and extension.
The trade unions have undertaken to apply their minds to the offer and the negotiating parties have agreed to a two week cooling off period in order to allow for a continuation of the informal engagement processes that took place between the SEIFSA Main Agreement Negotiating Team, all the trade unions and other non-party employer organisations in the lead up to today’s session.
The parties ended the session by agreeing to reconvene negotiations on the 5th and 12th July 2021 with the goal that by then the parties would have addressed and resolved the modalities and finer details of the plan.
We will continue to keep all members fully informed as developments unfold.
L Trentini, Operations Director: SEIFSA
