Welcome to SEIFSA

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) is a national employer federation representing the metal and engineering industry. For 68 years, SEIFSA has provided active support for its members and lobbied for policies that have improved the business environment in which its members operate. 

Read more about SEIFSA here..

SEIFSA WELCOMES YOU TO 2012
Posted on 10 January 2012

The new year has dawned and will doubtless bring its fair share of opportunities and challenges for members.

A host of new economic, political and social developments will influence the environment in which our members do business.  In the words of our president, Henk Duys, the need to grow our manufacturing sector to become globally competitive and employment creation will need to take centre stage.

Members are reminded that staff members in the SEIFSA office are ready and willing to assist and support you with any industrial relations, economic and commercial, skills development and health and safety matters that you need to address over the year ahead.

Please contact us for details of our advisory and consultancy services, workshops and publications.

Remember that we are just a phone call away.

Participation needed - Community of Expert Practice (CEP) meetings for 2012
Posted on 16 January 2012

SEIFSA members are invited to participate in the important work of the following confirmed CEP meetings scheduled for 2012:

Development Quality Partner (DQP)	Occupation	Date
CHIETA	Welding	23 January 2012
CHIETA	Metal Fabrication	9 February 2012
Merseta	Foundry Moulder	25 - 26 January 2012
Merseta	Electroplater	15 - 16 February 2012
Merseta	Plastics Setter	1 - 2 February 2012
MQA	Motor Vehicle Mechanic	25 - 26 January 2012
Merseta	Metal Occupations: Millwright Lift Mechanic Fitter & Turner Electrical Equipment Mechanic Fitter General Metal Machinist Mechatronics	20 - 21 February 2012

The purpose of these scoping meetings is to secure industry input on the respective occupations to enable the relevant DQP to develop occupational curricula and qualifications for the future.

Please contact Thandiwe Shashu, who is the Merseta SGB Coordinator, for further information – tshashu@merseta.org.za

GREEN PAPER FOR POST-SCHOOL EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Posted on 20 January 2012

The Minister of Higher Education and Training (DHET), Dr Blade Nzimande, has launched the Green Paper for Post-School Education and Training for public comment.

The Green Paper seeks to align the post-school education and training system with South Africa’s overall development agenda, with links to various development strategies such as the New Growth Path, the Industrial Policy Action Plan II, the Human Resource Development Strategy for South Africa and South Africa’s Ten-Year Innovation Plan.

The deadline date for public comment is 30 April 2012 and members are invited to submit any comments to janet@seifsa.co.za

Click here to view the Green Paper for Post School Education and Training..

EDUCATION AND TRAINING ADVISORY COMMITTEE (ETAC) MEETING - 22/2/2012
Posted on 17 January 2012

A meeting of the Education and Training Advisory Committee (ETAC) will be held at 10h00 on Wednesday, 22 February 2012 at the Johannesburg Country Club.

ETAC meetings are interactive half-day sessions where members are updated and informed about current skills development issues, trends and challenges facing the industry. Members also discuss issues where a SEIFSA mandate is required on strategic issues. The committee meets on a quarterly basis to discuss policy matters relating to the skills development legislation, Merseta strategies, technician and apprentice training and higher education matters.

SEIFSA member companies are entitled to free membership of the ETAC.

Booking is essential. Contact Veronica Fisher on (011) 298 9404 or email veronica@seifsa.co.za

AUDITING OF LABOUR BROKERS AGAINST 17 CRITERIA TO ENSURE PEACE OF MIND FOR CLIENTS
Posted on 02 December 2011

The Labour Broking Division of the Constructional Engineering Association of South Africa (CEA-LBD), are confident that labour broking is here to stay and offers an essential and potentially cost-saving service to companies.

Read more here..

On Wednesday 9 November 2011, Judge Andre van Niekerk of the Labour Court dismissed the urgent application launched by the National Employers’ Association of South Africa (NEASA), the Plastics Converters’ Association of South Africa (PCASA) and Riverpark Crane Hire CC to set aside the extension of the Main Agreement to non-parties in the industry.

Judge van Niekerk in essence concluded amongst his findings that “the minister’s decision is valid and enforceable…. In any event, the assertion of any right that the applicants may have to the extent that it is premised on the invalidity of any act by the bargaining council or any irregularity in any appointment or election of any representative to the bargaining council or any of its structures, any defects do not invalidate the extension of the collective agreement by virtue of the provisions of s206” of the Labour Relations Act.

Read the full document below..

OUTCOME OF ARBITRATION BETWEEN NEASA AND THE MEIBC
Posted on 14 November 2011

Following the dispute lodged by the National Employers’ Association of South Africa (NEASA) with the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC) concerning the constitutionality of the council, an arbitration hearing was held on Thursday and Friday 10 and 11 November 2011 at the MEIBC offices in Johannesburg.

Read more here..

NEASA / PCASA FAILS IN APPLICATION TO OVERTURN MINISTER OF LABOUR’S DECISION
Posted on 09 November 2011

The Labour Court issued a judgement, today, dismissing the NEASA and PCASA  application against the Minister of Labour, Bargaining Council, SEIFSA and the unions. In their application, NEASA had sought an order declaring the publication of the industry’s Main Agreement and the extension thereof to all parties and non-parties in industry to be invalid.

Read the full press release here..

IMPORTANT NOTICE
Designation of South African products for procurement by Organs of State
Posted on 26 October 2011

Further to our communications regarding the designation of products, we would like to highlight and add the following;

The designation of products is applicable to preferential procurement by state organisations (local, provincial, central government departments and parastatals). Also, it is aimed at products that are sourced by such organisations on a tender basis in substantial quantities on a ongoing basis. This is a government initiative to promote domestic manufacturing through the sourcing of local products.

Please find attached more explanatory documents including the new preferential procurement regulations (look at Regulation 9 on Page 11), a presentation on this by the DTI, a  designation template and a list of sector desks at the DTI. One has to approach the applicable sector desk for this.

The DTI has requested that the information in the template (which is quite problematic) be submitted by end October. If this is not possible, then that the sector desk should be approached before then.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR'S REPORT
Posted on 14 October 2011

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) is a national employer Federation representing the metal and engineering industry. For the past 68 years, SEIFSA has provided active support to its members and lobbied for policies that have improved the business environment in which its members operate.

SEIFSA’s executive and management team represents employers on a number of organisations that are critical to the success of the industry, including Business Unity South Africa (Busa), the National Economic, Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) and the National Skills Authority (NSA). They have, over the years, positively influenced legislation and national policy affecting labour relations, employment law, skills development and economic and trade matters.

SEIFSA has a dual purpose: to operate at national level as the recognised voice of the metal and engineering industry, and at member company level by providing a comprehensive range of services and products of direct benefit to employers in the industry.

Click on the link below to read the full report..

MEIBC CLARIFIES THE STATUS OF NEASA MEMBER FIRMS WITHIN ITS SCOPE
Posted on 05 October 2011

The MEIBC has released a circular in which it states the Council’s position regarding NEASA member companies. 

Read more here..

RESPONSE TO THE RECENT ARTICLES FROM THE METAL RECYCLERS ASSOCIATION (MRA)
Posted on 26 September 2011

As members are aware, SEIFSA made representations to the Ministers of Finance and Trade and Industry on 31 March 2011, proposing the imposition of a tariff on the exportation of scrap metal from the country.

Following this submission, industry representatives met with senior officials from National Treasury on 21 April 2011, where the SEIFSA submission was discussed at length. National Treasury had initially adopted an extreme view – emphasising that a number of incentives and government programmes, aimed at supporting the manufacturing sector, were available to companies within the sector, and that the local price of scrap was determined by market forces.

It was explained to the National Treasury representatives that the prices charged by local scrap merchants were based on export parity pricing, forcing local foundries to pay world prices for local scrap material and that it was believed that there was a high degree of collusion in this regard – this view supported by a recent Competitions Commission investigation and finding of collusion.

Click here to read more..

BACKDATING AND THE MAIN AGREEMENT
Posted on 05 September 2011

On signing the industry settlement agreement concerning wages and conditions of employment on 18 July, the majority of employer parties and all trade union parties agreed that the agreement would be backdated to 1 July 2011.

This was communicated to the SEIFSA membership in an explanatory management circular which detailed the new amendments and wage increases effective from 1 July 2011.

However, based on a legal opinion prepared by the State Law Adviser, the Department of Labour has subsequently recommended that the parties review the effective date of the agreement. According to the State Law Adviser, section 32 of the Labour Relations Act does not expressly empower the Minister to retrospectively extend a collective agreement to non-parties.

Read more here..

CORRECTIONS TO MIASA'S STATEMENT
Posted on 19 August 2011

SEIFSA would like to take this opportunity to clarify certain statements made by the Marine Industry Association South Africa (MIASA) in the CTBI News Blast of August 2011.

Firstly, certain members of MIASA may also be members of the Cape Engineers’ and Founders’ Association which is one of 35 registered employer associations federated to SEIFSA.

Read the full response and MIASA's statement here..

SEIFSA POSITION PAPER

Procurement Regulations and Support for BBBEE, Job Creation and Local Production

SEIFSA Economic Forum
Prepared by: The SEIFSA Economics Division, February 2011

1. INTRODUCTION

The South African economy masks key structural problems associated with the inability to absorb labour, high input costs of production and a low skills base. In addition, growth has been driven by unsustainably high levels of credit by the banking sector, with consumption not underpinned by productivity in the economy. This has led to considerable structural imbalances throughout the economy, resulting in persistently high levels of unemployment and a large current account deficit.

Read the full paper below..