SCORES of National Union of Metalworkers South Africa members working in the tyre and rubber industry in KwaZulu-Natal yesterday protested against low wages.

The workers marched to tyre manufacturer Dunlop in Durban, where they handed over a memorandumoftheir demands.

Numsa criticised Dunlop for ignoring workers' demands for more pay and better working conditions following three months of failed negotiations.

The union's provincial secretary, Mbuso Ngubane, said: "We want a 15percent salary increase and will not accept anything less.

"The employers have scheduled a meeting in East London and the results of that meeting will decide the fate of the strike."

Ngubane warned that if their demands were not met, more vital sectors that impact on the country's economywouldbe affected.

"The employers must table a good offer or industries such as car manufacturers will suffer. If that is not enough, petrol attendants will join us in solidarity," he said.

The workers' demands include a minimum wage of R20 an hour, a 40hour week without loss of pay and benefits, plus permanent positions for those hired on short-term contracts after three months of casual employment.

Numsa also called for skills training development programmes such as adult basic education training to be implemented within working hours.

"We are striking for better pay, not because we are lazy to work. We have children and bills to pay," Numsa member Falakhe Ntamane said.

Tyre production was halted in both KwaZulu-Natal and East London as striking workers, led by their regional representatives, protested at the entrances of tyre manufacturing companies such as Goodyear, Continental and Bridgestone.

KwaZulu-Natal Dunlop spokesperson Vusi Zuki said: "We still need to calculate our production loss due to the strike and we hope talks with the workers' union will prove fruitful." He declined to comment further on the impact of the strike.