Wage battle hots up, Hero MotoCorp faces strike
“We have been keeping patience and want a peaceful resolution, but after so many meetings there has been no decision. If a final decision is not made at Tuesday’s meeting, we will have to do something. We have the support from trade unions and other workers in this industrial belt, so most likely a strike will be the only route left,” an HMCWU office bearer told FE. HMCWU, which represents around 1,200 permanent workers, had last gone on strike in 2006 over wage issues and a demand for regularisation of contract workers.
Industry sources indicated that while it is true that the wage talks have stretched for longer than normal, the workers are likely trying to put pressure on the management to get a wage hike that they can accept. Pressure tactics have been used by both sides for the last few weeks as they try to arrive at a compromise, but a decision still remains elusive given the wide gap between both sides — the union has asked for a R14,000-15,000 monthly hike (average monthly wage is R46,000), while the management has reportedly offered only between R7,500-9,000 hike.
Last week, trade unions such as CITU, AITUC and
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