Japanese car maker² Toyota will halt production at its Durban assembly plant from Tuesday as the supply of components³ dries up. 

 

Ford⁴ and General Motors have already suspended some operations.

 

Workers in the engineering and steel industries have been calling for pay rises of up to 15%, which employers say they cannot afford.

 

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has rejected the latest offer by the employers' organisation⁵ to raise pay by 10% this year, 9.5% in 2015 and 9% the following year. Union leaders plan to meet on Tuesday to discuss intensifying⁶ the strike action.

 

The strike is targeted at the steel and engineering sector⁷, which makes products for industries such as mines, automotives and telecoms.

 

 

Irvin Jim, NUMSA's General Secretary, said his 220,000 members would not accept anything less than a 10% annual increase over three years.

 

Kaizer Nyatsumba, the Chief Executive Officer of Steel and Engineering Industries Federation⁸ said in a statement: "We have now done everything that we could possibly have done to end the strike."

 

Talks are continuing in the hope that a deal could be struck in the next few days. 

 

South Africa's economy stalled at the start of this year as a five-month strike in the platinum⁹ sector undermined confidence and damaged export earnings¹⁰.

点击收听单词发音