BL Premium reports that the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has approached the Labour Court for a declaratory order to the effect that its planned strike action at the Road Accident Fund (RAF) is legal and protected.

The RAF was granted an interim interdict against the industrial action in March after Numsa announced that it would embark on a “national shutdown” of all RAF offices to demand the removal of CEO Collins Letsoalo for alleged “gross incompetence” and presiding over the “disastrous” state of affairs at the state-owned entity. Numsa’s Irvin Jim said the RAF had falsely claimed in its court papers that it fell under the social security sector and not transportation. “[The] RAF falls under the responsibility of the minister of transport. The RAF board is appointed by the minister of transport, and prior to Numsa being recognised at RAF transport union Satawu was the majority union at RAF. When Numsa was being consulted during the section 189 [process dealing with retrenchments], RAF as the employer ticked ‘transport’ as the sector that it falls under,” Jim pointed out. He claimed that the RAF wanted to abuse the court process to get the court to sanction Numsa’s derecognition and said: “On the basis of false assertions they submitted to the court, the RAF unilaterally and unlawfully terminated Numsa’s recognition agreement.” The union wants the court to declare that its registered scope does not prevent it from organising within the RAF as Numsa’s constitution covers it. “We want the recognition agreement reinstated,” said Jim.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)

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