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BusinessLive reports that Toyota SA president and CEO Andrew Kirby hopes a week-long, illegal strike which has brought the company’s Prospecton, Durban vehicle assembly plant to a standstill will be over “very soon”.
The strike, which has stopped daily production of about 500 vehicles, is believed to be the result of conflict within the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa). The company won’t disclose reasons for the dispute, but sources say Numsa shop stewards voted out of office at Prospecton late last year are demanding reinstatement. According to the union, they were ousted democratically and it has instructed them and their supporters to return to work. Toyota has been granted a court interdict ordering them to stop industrial action, but Kirby said: “They are not listening to us or to their union.” Despite this, he hopes it won’t be necessary to retrench anyone when the dispute ends. The strike began on Wednesday last week and has so far cost the company about 3,000 vehicles. Kirby indicated on Thursday that the Prospecton shutdown will have limited, short-term effect on SA customers. The bigger immediate impact is likely to be on exports. Toyota insiders say that as long as the strike does not drag on, Prospecton should be able to make up most of the production shortfall and the estimated R1bn retail value of vehicles not built yet.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Dave Furlonger at BusinessLive
Read too, Toyota SA boss slams ‘short-term gain mentality’ as strike hits Durban plant, at Engineering News
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page