NUMSA Strike is looming at Garamkuwa based Giflo Engineering (Bop) (Pty) Ltd which supplies components to Toyota South Africa (SA)

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the Garamkuwa (Gauteng) based Giflo Engineering (Bop) (Pty) Ltd which supplies automotive components to Toyota SA have until Wednesday 17 June 2009 to resolve a retrenchment dispute, in terms of the CCMSA facilitated consultation process.

Giflo Engineering wants to retrench 83 out of the approximately 435 workers that it employs. The reason that Giflo Engineering has given to NUMSA for contemplating these retrenchments is that Toyota SA has cancelled a contract demanding that the components must be manufactured within 100 KM radius from the assembly plant which is located in KZN. But Giflo Engineering is unashamedly refusing to disclose the necessary information regarding this cancellation of contract for NUMSA to engage meaningfully in the consultation process.

NUMSA wants to know as part of the information required whether Toyota SA has paid any penalty fees in the cancellation if indeed any contract was cancelled. It is high time that such penalty fees must be used to retain the workers by means of exploring other alternatives to retrenchment rather than the company’s management left to appropriate everything. NUMSA also believes that it is far better for workers to share penalty fees that arise out of any cancellation of a contract rather than the company’s management left to squander all the monies.

NUMSA is preparing to embark on a strike action 48 hours from Wednesday 17 June 2009 should Giflo Engineering continue failing to prove the validity of the substantive reasons for its contemplated retrenchments and why it disregards alternatives. There is no reason why Toyota SA must be left untouched. A secondary strike will be explored to hit hard at Toyota SA for causing all this inconvenience.

For further information contact Numsa Spokesperson Alex Mashilo: 082 9200 308 & Sekome Tshoga: 083 253 7290 Numsa Roslyn Local Coordinator