Striking South African metalworkers lower their wage demand - union

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Labour unions representing striking South African metalworkers have submitted a lower wage demand to employers, two union representatives said on Sunday, to try to end the walkout battering Africa's most developed economy. More than 200,000 metal and engineering workers downed tools at the start of the month demanding wage increases of between 12 to 15 percent and disrupting the supply of auto components and construction work at two crucial power stations. The walkout, coming just weeks after the end of a crippling five-month strike in the platinum industry, is the latest blow to South Africa's ailing economy and has further unnerved investors impatient with waves of labour unrest. Six striking unions have been meeting with employers this weekend in an effort to end a strike that has forced U.S. automaker Ford Motor Co and others to halt production at their South African plants. The new proposal is for a three-year agreement with annual increases of 8 or 10 percent, depending on pay grade, Marius Croucamp, a spokesman for the Solidarity union, said. "Organised labour are in one voice and we believe this can break the strike," Croucamp told Reuters. Both Croucamp and a Johan van Niekerk, a representative for another small union in the talks, the United Association of South Africa, told Reuters the main National Union of Metalworkers (NUMSA) had also backed the proposal. No one was immediately available for comment at NUMSA, South Africa's main manufacturing union, which had previously rejected an offer from employers for an increase of 10 percent this year, followed by 9.5 percent in 2015 and 9 percent a year later.