South Africa’s National Union of Metalworkers have announced that they are seeking a 20% pay rise along with other benefits as they try to improve the state of the metal industry in the country and improve worker conditions.

The 260,000 strong union is calling for the pay increase all across the board for every one of its members, in addition to agreement contracts with a minimum of a year’s duration, plus a ban on labour brokers.

A number of companies were singled out in the statement for taking advantage of the country’s metal workers, with NUMSA pointing out that tyre maker Bridgestone had engaged in what they claimed were a series of “apartheid-style separatist acts,” including a lockout wherein they tried to force workers to accept a wage increase that was lower than that which had been promised in the New Tyre Manufacturing Industry Bargaining Council Agreement.