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Thread: Salary and wage increases for 2009

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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    Salary and wage increases for 2009

    What sort of wage increases can we expect to see this year?

    Despite calls to try to reduce job losses, it seems some unions are not going to be shy with their demands.
    A national protected strike in the road freight and logistics sector is set for March 15, the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) said in a statement on Monday.

    The strike -- with regard to the wage dispute declared on January 28 -- would commence at midnight "and will be indefinite until our demands are satisfactorily met", Satawu said.

    "The minimum wage remains very low and currently stands at R883,88 per week for drivers and at R579,16 per week for general workers."

    Satawu has demanded a minimum wage of R6 000 per month for drivers and a minimum wage of R3 000 per month for general workers
    full story from M&G here
    That would be something like a 50% increase for drivers!

    Whilst I like the idea of attracting a better calibre of driver to the industry (as a road user myself I would really appreciate that), I suspect this is going to be the wrong year to expect dramatic wage increases.

    What do you think?

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    Moderator IanF's Avatar
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    Brilliant lets all take the lowest common denominator, the minimum wage, and use that to beat up everyone.
    Anyway what is the general increase for this year, I say 10%.
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    just me duncan drennan's Avatar
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    I think people should just be happy to not receive pink slips.
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    Gold Member garthu's Avatar
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    Really a lot to ask. Short sighted. If they were really to win that the consequences Retrenched, out of business, higher basic food costs, fuel costs changed (be it marginal) but would have a round house impact
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    Platinum Member SilverNodashi's Avatar
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    Dave, I really don't think better salaries for the drivers will improve their driving skills. Money doesn't buy skills.
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    Gold Member garthu's Avatar
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    I did think that myself but didnt comment (decided i've been to contraversial this week ). I think the possibilty of doing the opposite exists. An influx of drivers from other industry ( I might consider the position ) including people with no experience. Certainly rather a driver than security guards etc. All these new people on the roads.. Could make things worse..
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    Site Caretaker Dave A's Avatar
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    I believe pay scales can affect the caliber of who you attract to an industry. It can also affect a person's self-image, something which I have seen in my own organisation.

    Let me toss out a line of thought here.

    Drivers aren't the only cost in a transport company. In fact, they might be one of the smaller costs. Accidents in particular cost money, which increases insurance premiums - and there have been a lot more accidents in the transport industry.

    Attracting a more conscientious driver to the wheel by paying more to the driver could in the medium term reduce costs.

    The flies in the ointment would be the LRA which would make getting rid of poor drivers a little tricky, and the current economic climate where there is serious pressure at the short term goal level.

    Perhaps a change that can't be achieved in one leap, but it wouldn't be a bad thing to strive towards.

    On salary increases for the year, I'm expecting to see more of this:
    Chris de Vos, the general secretary of the United Transport and Allied Trade Union, said yesterday that Transnet management had informed the union that the transport parastatal needed to save R4.9 billion between now and March - the end of its financial year.

    "If that is not the case, they would need to talk to us about no wage increase versus retrenchments," said De Vos.
    full story from Business Report here
    Last edited by Dave A; 17-Feb-09 at 11:18 AM.

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    Im with i think people should be lucky not to recieve the boot.

    Our org is not even replacing people who are leaving the org.

    Id say average of about 5% increases in corporates!!!

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    Gold Member garthu's Avatar
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    Ok, get the way of thinking with that on a medium plan. Could end up with better quality in the long term agreed and therefore reduced costs in the long run. But there timing still REALLY sucks
    Garth

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    Gold Member Martinco's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dave A View Post
    What sort of wage increases can we expect to see this year?

    Despite calls to try to reduce job losses, it seems some unions are not going to be shy with their demands.

    That would be something like a 50% increase for drivers!

    Whilst I like the idea of attracting a better calibre of driver to the industry (as a road user myself I would really appreciate that), I suspect this is going to be the wrong year to expect dramatic wage increases.

    What do you think?
    "The minimum wage remains very low and currently stands at R883,88 per week for drivers and at R579,16 per week for general workers."

    Well...there seems to be quite an in parity in the wages paid in the different sectors of industry e.g. In Iron and Steel we pay R995.60 for a driver and R811.20 for a general worker as a minimum and we must not forget that workers talk to one another over a beer and these things come to the fore .
    To them it does not make any sense that in one industry you get x rands and in another y rands for the same job.
    I think in our industry we can prepare for about 10%
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