Engineering News reports that the management committee of the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC) has agreed to appoint a sub-committee to try to resolve the disputes declared by trade unions and employers in the metals and engineering sector.

Negotiations to conclude an agreement on wages and conditions of employment deadlocked on 15 June, with trade unions declaring a dispute against the employers and the employers declaring a counter-dispute against the trade unions.  Talks restarted thereafter, but again reached a deadlock on 21 June, when the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) again rejected the proposed 5.3% wage increase.  To resolve the impasse, the sub-committee will meet under the facilitation of a senior CCMA commissioner on 28 & 29 June and 5 & 6 July.  Solidarity’s Marius Croucamp commented:  “I am hopeful, but not convinced, [that] matters will be resolved next week.  The parties demonstrated a positional bargaining approach during the first few rounds . . . there was not an inch moved to try and get to a compromise or to steer the wage talks towards the settlement zone by any of the parties.”

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