NUMSA general secretary Irvin Jim claims the 165 planned retrenchments at Metair subsidiary First Battery is due to poor management decisions and could have been avoided.
Metair subsidiary First Battery’s plans to retrench 165 workers are due to its management failing to position the company to meet the evolving specifications of the automotive industry, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) claimed on Monday.
First Battery said it has received notice from Numsa of its intention to commence protected strike action, due to proposed retrenchments currently being implemented following an extensive consultation process.
:The decision to proceed with workforce reductions was not taken lightly and followed an extensive consultation process lasting several months. Throughout this process, the company engaged with employee representatives in an effort to identify viable alternatives and minimise the impact on employees," the company said in response to Business Report questions.
The retrenchments are being implemented to ensure the long-term sustainability of the operation. "The company has contingency plans in place to manage the operations during the strike," the company said.
