Small group protest at VW over increases

VOLKSWAGEN Group South Africa (VWSA) employees held a lunch-time picket at the Uitenhage plant yesterday.

The mostly administrative and support staff members are unhappy that they received CPI-based increases while VWSA's hourly-rate employees bagged raises well above the inflation rate through motor industry wage negotiations spearheaded by the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa).

VWSA group communications general manager Matt Gennrich said the small group of employees who had embarked on the demonstration belonged to an informal staff association which the motor manufacturer had been consulting with over the past few months and with whom they were continuing to do so.

"VWSA employees are paid a market-related salary based on national salary surveys. These surveys benchmark VWSA jobs against jobs in the motor-manufacturing industry as well as similar jobs in other industries to ensure we pay a competitive salary and package. In addition, increases are based on personal performance," Gennrich said. – Business Reporter