The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) initiated a strike today, 4 July, at Ford South Africa’s Silverton plant, following a 48-hour notice of their intent to strike.
Numsa claims that Ford South Africa has failed to distribute profits to workers in the form of bonuses. According to Numsa, Ford Global reported a gross profit of $25 billion in the last financial year, and over a four-year period, this figure exceeds $90 billion, as sourced from Macrotrends.
A conciliation attempt at the CCMA offices in Pretoria on 11 June did not yield an agreement, with Numsa asserting that Ford South Africa dismissed their demands as ‘impermissible.’
“Ford, as a multinational company capable of producing around 720 cars daily, is certainly able to provide bonuses. We reject their justifications for not sharing the profits with workers,” Numsa stated.
The Citizen reported that Duduzile Nxele, Ford SA’s media liaison, mentioned that non-striking employees were advised to work from home during the strike period.
“Ford remains committed to South Africa and has made substantial investments in its operations and workforce. Unfortunately, production disruptions significantly affect South Africa’s economy and its global business reputation,” the company commented.
Ford also expressed hope that employees would return to work promptly.