The National Union of Mineworkers in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday called on the provincial economic development minister Zweli Mkhize to help stop massive retrenchments in the automotive and tyre industry.
NUM’s Mbuso Ngubane said the province’s automotive, tyre and components’ industry would soon experience massive retrenchments.
”We believe that government has a role to play in situations like these. Our MEC Dr Zweli Mkhize has to get involved.”
Ngubane said plans to call a strike were under way to demand that companies put a moratorium on retrenchments.
He said that Toyota would lay off more than 700 temporary jobs between February and March this year.
More than 160 temporary workers had already been asked to leave the company without involving representatives of NUM as required by Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act, he said.
”The company will also give workers voluntary severance packages. More than 1 000 people will be affected by this move. We are not happy because the unions have not been allowed to get involved in such negotiations.”
Ngubane said the move made workers vulnerable to exploitation. Workers employed by companies supplying Toyota with components were also hit.
”More than 600 people lost their jobs when a company called Bioxwhitch was liquidated due to financial problems. Gudfilters and Aunde South Africa have also informed us that it will soon retrench.”
Ngubane said the union was also unhappy that Toyota had decided to force its temporary workers to work overtime.
Tyre company Dunlop had invited the union to a meeting where union representatives would be given the number of people who would be retrenched.
Dunlop’s two plants in KwaZulu-Natal employ more than 1 000 workers.
”We have a feeling that a huge number of people will be retrenched,” said Ngubane.
Comment from Toyota and Dunlop could not be obtained on Tuesday night.
Meanwhile, trade union Solidarity said planned retrenchments currently stood at 35 000 for all sectors of the domestic economy, with the platinum industry hit hardest.
This followed an announcement by the world’s largest platinum producer, Anglo Platinum, that it planned on cutting about 10 000 jobs in the coming year — 6 000 of these would be retrenchments while a further 4 000 jobs would be reduced through natural attrition, the union said.
Nearly 8 000 jobs would be cut in the first half of the year. This included 6 000 contract workers whose contracts would not be renewed as well as 2 000 jobs reduced through natural attrition. – Sapa