By: Natasha Archary

More than 3 000 workers at Ford South Africa will be embarking on a strike after the vehicle manufacturer reportedly refuses to pay workers a bonus.
After Ford failed to reach an agreement with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) at the CCMA on 11 June, workers were issued with a certificate to hold a protected strike which will take place on Thursday, 04 July.
According to Numsa, Ford is refusing to share profits with workers, claiming it’s impermissable and say workers have no right to demand bonuses.
“The reason for the strike is that Ford is refusing to share its profits with workers. Our members are the creators of wealth and Ford has benefitted hugely from the sweat and labour of workers.
Ford management pretends not to understand the demand and they claims workers have no right to demand bonuses. We reject this with the contempt it deserves.
Ford is a multinational which is capacitated to build about 720 cars per day. They can definitely afford some kind of a bonus. We reject their reasons and justifications for refusing to share the profit with workers.”
Employer Labour Consultant, Tony Healy joins Gugulethu Mfuphi on Kaya Biz to break down whether an employer is obligated and/or liable to pay bonuses.
Healy says where an employer and employee had entered into a contract of employment that contains any provision regarding the compulsory payment of bonuses, an employer would need to adhere to the terms of such contract.
If an employer does not pay the bonus, it may be seen as a unilateral change to the provisions of the employment contract, in which case the employee may take legal action against the employer for breach of contract.
NUMSA members to embark on a strike at @FordSouthAfrica over its refusal to pay bonuses to workers. Ford generates billions of profits every year (even during covid-19), but it refuses to share with workers who are responsible for producing profit. Details 👇🏾 @IrvinJimSA
— NUMSA (@Numsa_Media) July 2, 2024
❤️🖤💛 pic.twitter.com/8NDNpVxrBP
Listen to the conversation on Kaya Biz:
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