Strike action begins at Lafarge in South Africa

More than 1,000 members of the National Union of Mineworker’s (NUM) in South Africa
have begun a nation-wide strike against cement producer Lafarge over wages.
“Lafarge must pay, they must come on board,” NUM national construction sector
co-ordinator Isaac Ntshangase said in a statement. “We made lots of money for them
throughout the 2010 construction period and before.”
NUM members, who began striking on Wednesday, have demanded that Lafarge increase
their wages by 11% in both the aggregate business unit and the cement business unit.
The aggregate business unit has offered its employees an 8% increase, while the cement
business unit has offered 8.5%.
NUM also wants a housing allowance of R1,500 in both units and a shift allowance of
R800 in the cement unit, which was offering R700.
“This is going to be the most hard-hitting construction strike action we have seen in
recent times,” said Ntshangase.
Strike action begins at Lafarge in South Africa