Tebogo Msimanga |
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) says it welcomes the defeat suffered by right-wing employers the National Employers Association of South Africa (NEASA) and the South African Engineers and Founders Association (SAEFA), at the hands of the Labour Appeals Court.
The LAC has rejected an application by NEASA and SAEFA for direct access to appeal the decision of the labour court on the gazettal of the engineering main agreement. At least 400 thousand workers in the Metals and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC) will benefit through increases, as a result of this decision.
NUMSA General Secretary Irvin Jim said NEASA and SAEFA petitioned the LAC for direct access after they were denied leave to appeal at the Labour Court. “These right-wing reactionary organisations attempted to interdict the MEIBC from gazetting the 2021 Main agreement, by filing an urgent application at the Labour court in August this year”.
Jim added that in their urgent application, NEASA and SAEFA also wanted the court to interdict the Minister of Employment and Labour from extending the 2021 Main Agreement to non-party employers and employees in the metal and engineering industries.
“They then tried to appeal directly to the LAC, and that has been dismissed as well. The LAC is of the view that the case has no reasonable prospects of success, and there are no compelling reasons for it to be heard. This is their third defeat and their humiliation is well-deserved”.
Jim further said they will oppose all attempts to undermine these gazetted agreements. “We cannot allow any employer to get away with non-compliance”.
