An agreement has been reached between Continental Tyre South Africa (CTSA) and striking Numsa members with the full workforce returning to work at 06:00 on 10 May 2014.

Dieter Horni, Managing Director of CTSA said, “We are pleased that an amicable agreement could be reached between ourselves and Numsa.”

Speaking on the impact, Horni said, “We will now review and table our losses in order to place corrective measures in place for the sustained competitiveness of the business within the industry. We are pleased that through proper planning and the professionalism of the teams we were able to meet the needs of our Original Equipment (OE) clients and replacements markets with minimal disruption.”

The strike which began on 15 April saw numerous proposals being put forth before acceptance was reached. The proposed four shift model will in effect allow weekend shift workers to be paid at time and a half for Saturdays and at double time for Sundays. As a consequence of acceding to this demand, CTSA has to reduce its manning accordingly and will follow the necessary processes as allowed for, in law to do so.

Concludes Horni, “Whilst we endeavor to maintain a stable work and production environment, a level of business realignment will be necessary in order to accommodate the new shift model and increased wage demands by Numsa.”