Private security guards' salaries are expected to rise by an average of 5% annually for the next four years, after three employer associations and eight unions inked a deal in the sector's wage talks on Tuesday.
The agreement, which Fin24 has seen, is set for submission to the office of Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi for promulgation after signing.
It will see guards' salaries rise by R1 277 over the next four years.
The Kungwini Amalgamated Workers Union (Kawu) said labour met with employers in the private security sector on Monday and Tuesday to discuss the wage increase proposal and ultimately reached an agreement.
This means grade A area 1, or high-level employees, will see their salary rise from R6 907 in 2023 to R8 184 in 2026. Grade A area 3 employees will see their salary rise from R5 915 in 2023 to R7 142 in 2026.
Grade B area 1 employees will see their salary rise from R6 330 in 2023 to R7 607 in 2026.
Unions previously demanded that employers implement increases of 16.14% in the first year, 14.12% in the second year, and 12.37% in the third year.
The wage agreement was signed by the Security Association of SA (SASA), the SA National Employers Association (Sansea), and the Consolidated Employers Association (CEO).
The eight unions that were signatories to the deal are the Abanqobi Workers Union (AWU); the Democratised Transport, Logistics, and Allied Workers Union (Detawu); the Kungwini Amalgamated Workers Union (KAWU); the National Security and Unqualified Workers Union (Nasuwu); the Professional Transport and Allied Workers Union (PTAWU); the SA Amalgamated and Integrated Workers Union (Saaiwu); the SA National Security and Allied Workers Forum (Sansawf); and the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu).
"The parties agree that the minimum basic remuneration as contained in the first main collective agreement shall be increased as outlined. The parties further agree that these amendments shall equally be applicable to employees employed on non-standard service agreements, including fixed-term agreements," the agreement said.
KAWU confirmed that it, along with the required number of unions, reached an agreement with employer associations on Tuesday. Sansea welcomed the deal, saying it followed a series of ongoing negotiations and critical negotiations.
Fidelity Services Group CEO Wahl Bartmann said the agreement would be in place for the next four years, effective 1 March 2023. Bartmann said the agreement was a "fair and reasonable agreement for all parties".
In late August, the private security wage talks were in deadlock and unions threatened a strike by 500 000 of the country's 2.5 million registered private security guards if their concerns were not addressed.