Joining Numsa is the easy part. But getting your employer to deduct from your wages and pay your subscription to Numsa regularly and on time is another hurdle. Numsa’s membership head, Lourens Bayliss, sets out the legislatoin and suggests what you should do to ensure your employer complies.
Some employers still believe they are above Section 13 of the Labour Relations Act of 1995 (amended). This spells out how an employer must deduct and pay over union subscriptions when instructed to do so by a union member.
Subsection (1) states that an employer must begin making the authorised deduction as soon as possible. Thereafter it must remit the amount deducted, to the worker’s trade union by no later than the 15 th day of the month following the date each deduction was made.
Subsection (5) stipulates that the employer must provide a schedule depicting all the members’ names from whose wages the employer has made the deductions. The schedule must also detail the amounts deducted from each employee.
Despite this some employers make late or erratic payments. Others never send us the schedules as required. All Numsa members are covered by a Funeral Policy Scheme. If employers have deducted the subscription fee and not paid over the funds, that specific worker’s funeral policy will fall in to arrears. If that worker then has a death in the family, the employer might become liable to pay the funeral benefit to the affected worker.
If no schedule was sent, then payment of the funeral benefit to a worker will be delayed. We are vigilant in following up on late and non-paying employers. Shops stewards should give a copy of this article to their Payroll or HR Department.
We still prefer it if employers deposit directly or transfer into our bank account. Details are:
First National Bank
Carlton Centre
Branch Code: 25 02 05
Acc. Name: National Union of Metalworkers of SA
Acc. Number: 5066 0034 189
Employers must quote their unique reference number as provided by Numsa’s Head Office whenever making a payment or sending any correspondence.
(Note: Some motor employers correctly pay the union subscriptions directly to the Motor Industries Bargaining Council. They should continue to do this.)