The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has expressed outrage at the ongoing retrenchments of hundreds of workers at the car interior systems and global components giant Lear Corporation.
More than 500 workers have been laid-off since the company concluded an agreement exempting it from effecting 5% wage increases due to purported financial difficulties.
Lear Corporation management has retrenched 300 workers in the Rosslyn plant in Pretoria even though the union had agreed to a further reduction of workers’ wages to far below minimum rates adopted by the Metal Industries Bargaining Council (Mibco).
Numsa and management have declared a dispute in the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after the company insisted on retrenching more than 200 workers in June.
The company has insisted that it find it difficult to pay R12- hourly minimum rates as opposed to R23, 85 industry minimum because it could not afford to start working on new projects.
“It is a classic case of nepotism, discrimination and mismanagement against our members because the company continues to hire new contract workers and employees in the management structures while retrenching lowly paid workers,” Numsa organizer Tshoga Onismas said yesterday.
Numsa is mobilizing workers to go on protected strike action in June 4, 2007 if management insisted on retrenching employees and transferring others to other regions, whilst it continued to hire contract workers and labour brokers.
For more information contact:-
Mziwakhe Hlangani, Numsa national information officer
Cell phone: 082 940 7116
E-mail: mziwakheh@numsa.org.za
Web site: www.numsa.org.za