Johannesburg — MORE than 220 000 South African workers in the metal and engineering sectors plan to go on strike on Tuesday to demand salary increases.
The workers are pressing for a 12 percent wage increment.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) will spearhead the protest marches in the major cities.
Briefing journalists, NUMSA General Secretary, Irvin Jim, said the marchers would converge in Cape Town, Durban, East London, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria.
"NUMSA calls on all workers, the unemployed in the working class communities and other progressive organisations to stand in solidarity with Engineering/Metals workers in the common struggle for a Living Wage and decent life," Jim said.
He said Eskom workers would also take to the street protesting huge salaries for management including huge bonuses, grand office space and massive perks while ordinary workers were allegedly denied competitive wages.
"The NUMSA National Executive Committee having considered that NUMSA members in Eskom are receiving the short end of the stick, resolved that NUMSA members in Eskom will picket on 2 July 2014 at the Eskom Head Office in support of the NUMSA demands," he said.
The NUMSA protests come barely a week workers from the striking platinum mining had lifted their crippling five-month industrial action.
