THE situation is back to normal at Limpopo Economic Development Enterprise after management and the union reached agreement on a new wage offer.

The workers, affiliated to the National Education Health and Allied Workers Union from the five regions of the province, embarked on a strike on Thursday last week demanding a salary increase.

They wanted a 13percent wage increase across the board and performance bonuses, while the employer was prepared to offer 10percent.

Nehawu accused LimDev of failing to develop a performance management system policy that would guide the payment of bonuses to its employees.

According to the union, LimDev was only offering performance bonuses to executive managers and workers in Risima - a division of LimDev.

It was later discovered that the performance management system policy in place only covered workers who were contracted with LimDev and not full-time employees.

The matter was later taken to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration where the two parties deadlocked.

Nehawu later made a new demand of 12percent plus performance bonuses, but management remained unmoved - which triggered a fully-fledged strike on Monday.

But the strike was called off yesterday after management and the union reached an agreement on a new wage offer.

LimDev managing director Stan Mathabatha said yesterday: "We have presented a new offer of 11percent to the union yesterday and they have accepted it.

"We have further agreed to offer R2500 to every employee as a performance bonus."

Nehawu provincial secretary Richard Monyela said workers have accepted the new offer and everything was back to normal at LimDev.