Numsa urges Ford to pause retrenchments amid South African auto sector woes
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) has urged Ford Motor Company to immediately halt its planned retrenchments of 474 workers and initiate meaningful consultations to explore alternative solutions.
The call comes in response to Ford’s recent announcement of job cuts at its key manufacturing facilities, highlighting growing concerns over deindustrialization in the country’s automotive industry.
Last week, on August 28, Ford issued a Section 189 notice under the Labour Relations Act, signaling intentions to eliminate 391 operator positions at its Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria, 73 roles at the Struandale engine plant in Gqeberha, and an additional 10 positions as part of a broader “manufacturing realignment” to optimize operations.
The move is seen as a reflection of broader challenges facing South Africa’s automotive sector, including economic pressures and uncertainty that have led to similar workforce reductions across the industry.
NUMSA General Secretary Irvin Jim condemned the decision, accusing the company of prioritizing profits over workers’ livelihoods. “NUMSA has witnessed a painful pattern that as soon as employers’ profits are under threat, the first thing they do is to target what they regard as the weakest link in the chain, which is workers,” Jim stated.
He described the retrenchments as an “attack on the South African working class” and emphasized the need for government intervention to support manufacturing and prevent further job losses.
The union has called for urgent consultations within the 60-day statutory period, advocating for alternatives such as worker retraining or production adjustments to avert the layoffs.
NUMSA urged affected workers to unite and engage with shop stewards for updates, vowing to intensify its campaign against the cuts.
Ford has not yet responded publicly to NUMSA’s demands, but the situation underscores the fragile state of employment in South Africa’s industrial heartlands, where thousands of families depend on the automotive supply chain.