Ed Stoddard | JOHANNESBURG

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) said on Thursday it had tabled demands for wage hikes of 15 percent across the board in the metal and engineering sectors.

“Our intentions are to negotiate a wage agreement which will benefit our members and help them to raise their families with dignity,” NUMSA said in a statement.

The demands are almost triple the current inflation rate of 5.3 percent and come against the backdrop of an economy mired in recession with the unemployment rate at a 14-year high.

(Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Tiisetso Motsoeneng)