Talks between Numsa and Swiss/Swedish multinational company –ABB PowerTech Transformers – over fortnight long strike has been successfully concluded.

About 300 operators have returned to work today (Monday) after reaching a settlement at the weekend over a strike regarding performance incentive bonus scheme.

The strike was called-off with immediate effect after the company management agreed to pay R10 000 bonuses for qualifying employees, including pro-rate payments for employees with less than 12 months service within a week’s time.

In the agreement, both parties restated their commitment to ensure that a full settlement of the 2006/ 2007 performance incentive bonus payment is honoured within seven days while the criteria for the future bonus scheme will be agreed upon before May 2007 and with the involvement of the external arbitration.

It was further agreed that criteria for future bonus scheme would not be linked to the management incentive bonus which entitled them to R100 000 each as demanded by the workers. If no further agreement ca be reached by July, 2007, then bonus payouts for 2007/2008 will be based on the formula used for the performance incentive scheme in 2005/2006.

The technical operators aligned to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), downed tools the previous week in support of their demand for R10 00 bonus payments on March 15, 2007.

They (employees) even refused to take the bonus for the previous financial year March 2006 to February 2007 on condition that they signed he agreement o the future bonus scheme.

Tensions soared after management had reneged on effecting the in-principle agreement reached between parties on the future bonus scheme.

For more information contact:

Mziwakhe Hlangani, National information officer

Cell phone: 082 9407116

E-mail: mziwakheh@numsa.org.za

Or Web site: www.numsa.org.za