Employees at Ladysmith tyre manufacturer head back to work
SUMITOMO Rubber South Africa (SRSA) is moving towards resuming operations at its manufacturing plant in Ladysmith after confirming that the illegal industrial action that began on 24 April 2023, has ended.
CEO of SRSA, Lubin Ozoux, said, “The past few weeks have been a difficult time at SRSA. The industrial strike action resulted in daily protests. We have been tirelessly engaging with various stakeholders, including the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA). We are pleased that all parties have come to an understanding and are committed to moving forward.”
Agreement and resumption of operations
SRSA, together with NUMSA shop stewards and a forum made up of community leaders, have agreed on a set of guidelines that help move past the impasse.
Employees will begin to return to the plant from this week, in a staggered approach, to allow the tyre manufacturing process to be in full operation by next week.
“We remain committed to our employees and to the future and sustainability of the company. Together, all our efforts and contributions will ensure that SRSA continues our local tyre manufacturing excellence,” said Ozoux.
Thanks to Ladysmith
The protest action has impacted Ladysmith residents, who witnessed protest action daily.
“We acknowledge the impact of the strike on the community and thank them for their patience over this period. We are committed to rebuilding trust with not just our employees, but the community as well,” said Ozoux.
Ozoux further thanked the members of the public who sent in their CVs for the anticipated vacancies at the plant.
“We sincerely appreciate the effort taken by Ladysmith community members in submitting their CVs. Our HR team will fully screen all the CVs for those who can be considered for positions that were vacant prior to the protest, and for upcoming vacancies,” said Ozoux.
The outcome of the industrial action had previously appeared to be moving towards ‘fair dismissal’ proceedings against workers.
