Johannesburg - More than 800 workers at Ladysmith’s Sumitomo tyre-producing factory have returned to work following a protracted strike that resulted in their dismissal from their jobs.
The workers had been on strike since the end of April.
They returned to work on Thursday, following the intervention of trade unions who took up their dismissal.
On Wednesday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA in KwaZulu-Natal confirmed that it had signed an agreement with Sumitomo, where the company agreed to withdraw the dismissal of 900 employees.
In a statement, Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said the strike began on 25 April. She said the strike had been declared unlawful and was unprotected by the courts.
“On April 25, workers at Sumitomo went on a strike which the courts later declared to be unprotected. Subsequent to that, on May 24 the employer dismissed 900 workers for participating in the strike.
“However, last week Numsa engaged in mediation, and the agreement which was signed today is a product of that engagement. The goal was to settle the dispute amicably and to find a way to reinstate workers who had been dismissed.
“We are pleased that we were able to achieve this and save jobs. As part of the agreement, Sumitomo has agreed to withdraw the dismissal and reinstate all 900 workers. Furthermore, there will be no disciplinary charges, except in some cases of misconduct,” she said.
Hlubi-Majola said part of the agreement was that workers would continue with the six-day shift system that was ongoing at the time the employees embarked on the strike.
“We also agreed that for now the previous shift pattern, where workers worked for six days per week, would be re-instated and would remain in place until December. There will be no short time, because this issue was affecting members negatively,” Hlubi-Majola added.
She said that, following successful negotiations, the union was grateful for the positive outcome, which had saved 900 jobs.
“Numsa is grateful for the involvement of Pastor Zakhele Myende from Ladysmith for the progressive role he played in bringing us together, by facilitating the mediation with the employer.
“We welcome engagement from community stakeholders because we are part of the very same communities and, ultimately, it is in our collective interest to ensure that the relationship between workers and the employer is a peaceful one,” she said.
The Star