The workers’ union at Toyota South Africa Motors said that it will go on strike from October 17, 2012, for a bonus of 1,500 rand, following the bock on an injunction bid by the courts.
The National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA), in a statement on October 16, 2012, said that the court has allowed them to put down their tools from Wednesday. The Union said, “The workers will be embarking on a protected and indefinite strike action demanding a retention bonus of 1,500 for all workers in the plant”.
According to our sources, only some of the workers have been given the bonus, and the others will strike until the benefit has been passed on to them as well. Mbuso Ngubane, the NUMSA regional secretary said that the blocking by the court of the interdict, is a sign of victory of its members at Toyota, and they will halt production at the plant until all the workers have received the benefit of the bonus.
The strike has been announced at the company’s plant in Durban in the east of the country. The company said that the firm is the seventh largest distributor of Toyota vehicles outside Japan. The firm produces 120,000 vehicles per year.
