Members of the Association derive invaluable assistance through the comprehensive range of specialised services and products which SEIFSA offers, which include advice / assistance / consultancy covering labour legislation, dispute resolution, employment conditions, health and safety, broad-based black economic empowerment, contract price adjustment and skills development. SEIFSA also offers a wide range of publications, training courses, seminars and conferences.
Q
: What significant benefits have you derived from being a SEIFSAfederated Association?
A
: Although the Association is an independent, registered employers’ organisation, being federated to SEIFSA enables members to have access to all the expert assistance and / advice in the fields of legal / industrial relations and economic support systems that SEIFSA offers, particularly smaller companies which do not have these resources in house. SEIFSA also provides the Association with excellent administration, secretarial and accounting services.
SEIFSA positions itself as a professional collective bargaining entity in the areas of socio-economic and human capital policy and performs the role of a professional and effective advocacy and lobbying body for all its constituents, including the LEIA.
SEIFSA acts as a principal advocate for the Metals and Engineering Industry in South Africa to Government, communicating major policies and industry positions endorsed by its members. A further vital function of the Federation is to represent member Associations in the sector in industry collective bargaining with organized labour.
Q: Are there certain things that you would not have achieved without SEIFSA? If so, please tell us what they are?
A
: For the first time in a decade,
SEIFSA( representing all the federated Associations) was able to reach a Settlement Agreement with all the trade unions on 23 August 2017 without any industrial action, ensuring peace and stability in the industry until 2020.
A comprehensive Main Agreement containing all aspects of employment conditions, importantly Section 37, which protects companies against plant- level bargaining, including the prohibition of unions embarking on industrial action on issues which have been concluded in the Main Agreement.
As the recognised voice of the industry, SEIFSA has the ability to influence and provide input to the regulatory business environment that we operate in.
As SEIFSA is the recognised voice of the industry, the Association’ s affiliation to SEIFSA provides its members with direct access to the industry’ s trade unions and related stakeholders, BUSA and NEDLAC. on all issues that have an impact on the world of work.
Q
: Has SEIFSA played a role in confronting challenges that have faced the Association? The Association is only as strong as its membership base, and by SEIFSA continuing to provide a valuable service to the Association and its membership, this ensures that the LEIA remains competitive and relevant to its members and industry. For example, through SEIFSA’ s representation on the various structures that are essentially accountable for skills development in the manufacturing and engineering environment, the skills challenges in the sector are continuously being addressed to the satisfaction of our membership.
Q
: If we could change one thing about SEIFSA or its services, what would that be? Issues around violence and intimidation of employees by striking workers remain matters of great concern to our membership. Whilst we are encouraged by the recent amendments to the Labour Relations Act aimed at addressing this unfortunate consequence associated with industrial action, we believe that early engagements between the parties ahead of wage negotiations, with the participation and involvement of all stakeholders, is critically important to ensure that we never have a repeat of the industrial action visited upon this industry in 2014.
On-going discussions around the review of the current collective bargaining model of one-size-fits-all remains crucially important to accommodate a vast and diversified industry. On both matters, the LEIA and its representatives stand ready to serve and support SEIFSA in these important engagements as we forge ahead into a new and hopefully prosperous and productive future.
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