/ MEDIA STATEMENT / The content on this page is not written by Polity.org.za, but is supplied by third parties. This content does not constitute news reporting by Polity.org.za.

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) met with the management team of Comair last week to discuss two disputes. The first is the dispute on wage discrepancies at the airline, the second, was the dispute over the wage increase.

On the issue of the wage discrepancy, our members complained that there were unjustified wage gaps, which are race based between workers for doing the same work. Last month we were on the verge of a strike because the management of Comair was in denial that the problem of wage discrepancy existed. One of the terms of the agreement we signed last month, was that a Working Committee made up of the management team at Comair, and NUMSA would meet to investigate this issue and map a way forward to resolve it. We met last Tuesday and Wednesday over this and these were some of our findings:
 

• Twenty-three workers at the Airports Bargaining Unit are earning unjustifiably higher salaries.
• The positions which are most affected by this problem are that of ramp controller, lounge hosts, customer services agents and special services agent.
• The widest gap between those who earn the most and the lowest earner in the same grade, is approximately R7000.

As NUMSA we cannot allow a situation where the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is blatantly violated in the workplace.  We made a proposal to management that they need to agree on a time frame for how they will correct these wage discrepancies. We proposed that management must, over time, increase wages of those who are affected by the gap, so there can be uniformity in their salaries, because they are doing the same kind of work. The management of Comair rejected this proposal. Instead, they have made the outrageous proposal that the high earners should be denied wage increases until the salaries of other workers catch up. Why should one group of workers be punished and denied wage increases, when it was management failure which led to the creation of this problem in the first place? This proposal is unfair and this is why we reject it.
We are clearly in dispute over how to resolve this issue. We will be meeting members to discuss this issue and the way forward.
 
Second Dispute – Wage increase

We had a conciliation on the second dispute with Comair on Wage increases at the CCMA on Friday. The wage agreement has lapsed and we are currently negotiating new terms. There is a proposal on the table from management and we will be canvassing our members for a response on it when we meet for general meetings from the 16th to the 21st January to get a mandate.

The general meetings will deal with these two very important Disputes. Our members must give us guidance on how to deal with the problem of the Wage discrepancy, and, they must inform us if they accept the proposal from management on wage increases. Once we have engaged them we will communicate with the public about the way forward. If our members reject what has been put on the table, then it means that strike action is inevitable.
We will communicate the response from our members on the 23rd of January, when we meet Comair management under the auspices of the CCMA for Mediation.
Aluta continua!
The struggle continues!

Issued by The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa