Interview with the Constructional
Engineering Association Chairperson,
Anthony Boy
Q
: When did the CEA become federated to SEIFSA?
A
: Regional Industrial Councils were first established in 1926 in the Port
Elizabeth and Uitenhage regions and were the forerunner to the National
Industrial Council in the Metal and Engineering Industry established in 1944. The
CEA was established in 1936 as the Transvaal Structural Engineering Association and
was a founding member of SAFEMA (South African Federation of Engineering and
Metallurgical Associations) established in 1943. Initially the employer associations
were not as organised as the trade unions which organised themselves under the
Mechanics Unions Joint Executive. In 1943 the State, through the Controller of
Industrial Manpower, took a direct role in the formation of the National Industrial
Council on the direct instruction of the Prime Minister. SAFEMA changed its name
to SEIFSA in 1947 when the arrangement of equal representation of the regions
was considered to be problematic after the Federation’s growth. It thus follows
that the CEA was a founding member and affiliate to SEIFSA since 1943.
Q
A
: What were the Association’s reasons for wanting to be a
part of the Federation?
Anthony Boy
CEA Chairperson
: The demand for increased production of metal products and munitions
during the Second World War led the government to intervene directly in
production activities. The consequence of this intervention was the establishment
of a Controller of Industrial Manpower. Craft worker resistance to attempts by
the Controller of Manpower to freeze wages, restrict the movement of skilled
engineers and extend the working day resulted in the Controller calling for a
conference between it and the employers and the resultant formation of SAFEMA;
the strategy was to increase control of the metallurgical industry. The first National
Industrial Councils emerged in 1943 and the first national agreement was signed
in 1944.
Q
: What has been your experience with being federated to
SEIFSA?
A
: To a large extent, my association with SEIFSA over the many years has
been a beneficial one to both the CEA and other Associations as well as
the individual companies I have been associated with. The services which SEIFSA
provides into industry – particularly in the Industrial Relations front – and its
representation of the industries’ interests with various bodies such as Business
Unity South Africa, NEDLAC, the Department of Trade and Industry and the
Department of Labour, to name but a few, are the main benefits to industry.
The negotiation of the Main Agreement in the Metal and Engineering Industry
Bargaining Council is a key aspect of the service provided by SEIFSA and is the
catalyst for industrial peace in our industry. Here there has been, on the whole,
a fair amount of success. The current agreement bears testimony to SEIFSA’s
contribution to our industry.
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