Motor Industry Staff Association | +27 (0)11 476 3920 | media@ms.org.za
11 October 2022
MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, lowered its wage demand to 8,5% as a sign of the Union’s commitment to continue wage negotiations in good faith to reach an agreement for the benefit of its members.
Hermann Köstens, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Strategy and Development, says MISA informed the Retail Motor Industry (RMI) that the Union cannot accept its revised wage offer for all sectors except Sector 5.
“The offer is not addressing the enormous cost of living increases, escalating fuel prices, interest rate hikes and especially food inflation that has left MISA members struggling to make ends meet.
The record loadshedding implemented by Eskom the past month, aggravating an already dire situation. “
RMI submitted a revised wage offer for all sectors except Sector 5. The revised offer is a multi-term agreement with a 5,5% wage increase on minimum wages for year one, 4,5% for year two and 4 % for the third year. This is a reshuffle of the initial three-year wage offer of a 5% wage increase on minimum wages for increase for all sectors, except Sector 5.
RMI and the Fuel Retailers Association (FRA) are offering a multi-term wage agreement in Sector 5 with a 5% salary increase for year one, 5% for year two and 4% for year three.
Köstens says #MISA’s members cannot accept 5%. The Union is of the view that the Employer can afford to pay employees a proper increase on the minimum wage and ensure that the real take home pay is back to pre-pandemic levels.
The rest of MISA’s demands are:
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Measures on the elimination of violence and harassment to ensure the provision of safe workplaces for all;
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Amendments to the wording of the short-time clause, because the current wording is creating challenges in the industry;
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A review of the calculation of retrenchment pay, accrued leave pay and the suspension of commission earners. The current calculations excluding commission and incentives.
“Statistics of vehicle sales indicate stability returning to the new vehicle market. New vehicle sales in August were the second-best performing sales month to date in 2022, with 47,420 new vehicle registrations recorded,” says Köstens.
MISA did not declare a wage dispute and continue with wage negotiations at the Motor Industry Bargaining Council (MIBCO). The Union’s members indicated that they cannot afford to participate in an indefinite strike where the rule of no work no pay will apply.
Köstens says that MISA members are not protected by the picketing rules agreed upon by NUMSA and the Employer Organisations and cannot join any protest action.
MISA will continue to keep its members abreast of developments.