ROBB M. STEWART
● Il maggior sindacato sudafricano, National Union[e] of Mineworkers, chiede a De Beers SA (diamanti) un aumento salariale del 15% e aumenti per i turni; ha respinto l’offerta padronale dell’8% di aumenti. L’inflazione ha rallentato a marzo al 5,1%.
o Nel 2009 gli aumenti salariali sono stati del 9%.
● National Union[e] of Mineworkers rappresenta circa ½ dei 2500 addetti di De Beers Consolidated Mines, in sei miniere sudafricane.
o Il salario minimo è sui 5000 rand ($677) al mese
– In SA nel 2009, De Beers ha prodotto 4,8 mn. di carati sui suoi complessivi 24,6 mn.
– De Beers è posseduta per il 45% da Anglo American PLC; la famiglia Oppenheimer ne possiede il 40%, il 15% il governo del Botswana.
ROBB M. STEWART
● Lo sciopero nei trasporti sudafricani è organizzato ad un mese dalla Coppa del Mondo, con 300000 visitatori attesi.
● Anche il sindacato United Transport & Allied Trade Union[e] (che rappresenta 21 000 dei 54 000 salariati di Transnet) si è unito allo sciopero indetto lunedì da South African Transport & Allied Workers Union, (quasi 18000 salariati Transnet).
o United Transport & Allied Trade Union[e] aveva sospeso lo sciopero per valutare l’offerta aziendale di un aumento dell’11%.
● I sindacati chiedono +15% e l’impiego a tempo indeterminato per i 5 000 lavoratori a termine.
● Appoggia lo sciopero il filo-governativo Congress of South African Trade Unions (2 milioni di membri).
– Rischia di rimanere a breve senza rifornimenti l’industria dell’auto; in particolare la filiale sudafricana di Vw, 5800 addetti, e i suoi fornitori.
Dal terzo trimestre 2009 l’economia sudafricana è in ripresa, mentre la disoccupazione è giunta al 25%, secondo i dati ufficiali.
De Beers Faces Risk of Strike in South Africa
By ROBB M. STEWART
– JOHANNESBURG—Diamond mining company De Beers SA faces a possible strike by workers in South Africa after the nation’s largest trade union[e] said Monday it will press demands for wage increases that outpace inflation.
– The National Union[e] of Mineworkers on Friday declared a wage dispute, which will be referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration for mediation.
"The time has now arrived for us to tackle De Beers," said Peter Bailey, the union’s chief negotiator at De Beers. "I don’t see how we can’t give them a strike action this time around."
– The union[e] is demanding a 15% increase in wages and an increase in the shift allowance, among other things. It said it has rejected De Beers’s proposed 8% increase.
"They either heed the call or we bring them down on their knees in a few weeks time," Mr. Bailey said.
De Beers spokesman Tom Tweedy said the company believes it has made a fair offer in light of declining inflation and will seek a speedy resolution to the dispute.
– Consumer inflation has been slowing in Africa’s biggest economy, easing to an annual rate of 5.1% in March, according to the latest official figure.
– The company last year agreed to raise wages 9%. Its minimum wage is currently 5,000 rand ($677) a month, although Mr. Tweedy said that applies to the fewer than 100 workers at the lowest skill level.
– The union[e] represents roughly half of De Beers Consolidated Mines’ 2,500 employees at six operations in South Africa.
– The nation accounted for 4.8 million of the 24.6 million carats produced by De Beers last year.
– De Beers is 45% owned by Anglo American PLC, and the Oppenheimer family owns 40%. The government of Botswana owns 15%.
South African Transport Strike Escalates
By ROBB M. STEWART
– JOHANNESBURG–The movement of commodities and fuel in South Africa may be halted later Tuesday after a second labor union[e] said it would join a strike by thousands of workers at the country’s freight rail, ports and pipelines.
– The escalation in the pay dispute at state-owned Transnet Ltd. risks tempering the slow recovery in Africa’s biggest economy from its first recession in 17 years and comes one month before it hosts the soccer World Cup, an event expected to attract about 300,000 visitors.
– "Wherever there is still any limited movement of goods and fuel by Transnet, this will be totally shut down by this evening," said the South African Transport & Allied Workers Union, which represents almost 18,000 of Transnet’s 54,000 employees and started the striking Monday.
– Chris de Vos, general secretary of the separate United Transport & Allied Trade Union, said his union[e] had now officially joined the strike. The union[e] had suspended a walkout by its 21,000 members at Transnet to consider a revised 11% pay increased offered by the company.
– The unions are demanding a 15% rise and permanent employment for 5,000 contract workers, among other things. The two million-strong Congress of South African Trade Unions, a political ally of the government, has declared its support for the strike and efforts to close the gap between rich and poor in the country.
– Richards Bay Coal Terminal Co., which receives the fuel by rail for export to European power stations and elsewhere, has said it has stocks of coal and isn’t immediately being affected by the strike.
– The country’s automotive industry, however, may soon face shortages of supplies and a backlog on exports. "The critical time is approaching toward the end of the week, and then it becomes exponentially more critical," said Bill Stephens, a spokesman at the South African arm of Volkswagen AG . He said the auto maker, which employs 5,800 people in South Africa, and its suppliers are vulnerable to a halt on shipments of components and in time will need to load and ship finished vehicles.
South Africa surfaced from recession in the third quarter of last year, following three consecutive quarterly contractions, but employment has yet to bounce back. Figures recently released by the government showed unemployment edged up in the first three months of the year to slightly more than 25%.