Numsa distances itself from violence during strike in KZN

This week metal workers from across the country downed tools as part of a nationwide strike.

This after rejecting the 4.4% wage increase that employer associations in the engineering and steel sector offered.

On Tuesday, workers belonging to union Numsa staged a nationwide strike calling for an 8% salary increase.

Numsa says it's been a peaceful demonstration.

But incidents of violence have been reported.

Videos emerged of people in Numsa shirts breaking into a business in Springfield Park in Durban on Wednesday.

A woman who works at the factory described the scenes and says they feared for their lives.

"The guys in front had kicked in our electric gate. The sliding gate was closed across our premises and they rattled and rattled until they broke the gate open.

"They broke our intercom out of the ground, put the roller shutter door down on our factory, went to the factory and forced our guys that were working there they have to join the strike otherwise they are going to start bashing the cars if the people don't come with them.”

Meanwhile, KZN police say officers remain on high alert at an industrial park in Richards Bay, where a handful protesting people turned unruly earlier.

The group assembled outside the gates of a company along Alumina Allee Street this morning.

The police's Nqobile Gwala says some demonstrators intimidated passers-by and chased them with pangas - others pelted trucks with stones.

She says officers moved in a bid to restore calm.

"The situation is quiet. No incidents reported. Local police are at the scene to monitor and stabilise the situation."

It's not clear if the protest is linked to the wage battle in the metal and engineering sector.

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