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BL Premium reports that on Monday Andrew Kirby, president of the National Association of Automobile Manufacturers of SA (Naamsa), addressed delegates attending the national bargaining conference of the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa).
He said that all stakeholders needed to act in a manner that is “good for the industry” to ensure its sustainability. The three-day conference by Numsa is aimed at preparing and consolidating wage demands in various economic sectors including automotive, aviation, bus, tyre, motor, Eskom, Road Accident Fund, and infrastructure, among others. Kirby, who is also president and CEO of Toyota SA, told the conference that the automotive industry had a “mountain to climb”, which he said could be overcome, if parties worked together. “We are in a high-risk environment at the moment, the danger signs are present [as we] emerge from the long shadow of the pandemic. But there are some solid opportunities for growth and development,” Kirby stated. He indicated that the industry experienced one of the “most disruptive periods in our history” due to instability in global supply-chain processes. These pertained to a global shortage of semiconductors. The challenges the automotive sector faced in the country, said Kirby, included logistics, infrastructure, reliable energy supply, and civil unrest. The SA outlook, however, was better than expected. “The market is stronger than it was in 2019. It has recovered from the impact of Covid-19. We are forecasting moderate growth over the next three years,” Kirby indicated. Numsa is expected to present its consolidated wage demands in the affected sectors on Tuesday. Numsa president Andrew Chirwa commented: “We are not here to prepare for a strike, but for collective bargaining. But if we reach a point where bosses refuse to make an offer to address the plight of workers, we will have no other choice but to mobilise and take bosses on.”
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
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