National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa general secretary Irvin Jim said the union will not budge from its 20% wage increase demand in the ongoing auto sector wage negotiations, as workers in the sector have had little protection from rising costs. Fin24 reports that the country’s broader automotive sector is under pressure after its contribution to SA’s GDP fell from 6.4% in 2019 to 4.9% in 2020. That said, it is still the largest manufacturing sector of the South African economy.
