SEIFSA celebrates 80th anniversary with successful golf day
The Steel and Engineering Industry Federation of South Africa (SEIFSA) held a successful golf day on Friday, August 18 at the prestigious Glendower Golf Club, with the focus squarely on the Federation's 80th anniversary.
There was a full field of 164 players, all wearing company-branded shirts, with the 18 sponsored watering holes providing golfers and sponsors ample opportunities to network and showcase their businesses.
As part of the 80th celebrations, there was a hole in one prize of R80 000.00 at the 17th hole. The award was not claimed but this did not diminish the enthusiasm of all participants.
First place went to Interroll SA (Pty) Ltd and second place to Marketing2theMax, with Coleus Packaging taking third place as well as the best stand award.
“This is a big year for SEIFSA as we celebrate 80 years of excellence. We appreciate the participation and dedication of our members in another successful day of golf and networking. We enjoyed seeing familiar faces and new acquaintances at this year's event, and look forward to celebrating again at next year's Annual Golf Day,” said SEIFSA CEO Lucio Trentini.
Lucio Trentini
Chief Executive Officer
Industry Wage Increases effective 1 July 2023
The implementation of industry increases effective 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024 marks the end of the three-year deal struck in 2021. The three-year deal concluded in 2021 was a watershed agreement that saw the reintroducing of the awarding of increases on rands and cents, an introduction of a special phase-in dispensation, primarily aimed at companies who have been operating outside of the scope of the main agreement since 2010 (although this arrangement is available to all employers in the industry) and finally, the gazettal and extension of the main agreement to all employers and their employees.
Wages Increases
As was the case in 2021 and 2022 wage increase in 2023 are awarded as a rand and cents amount. The rand and cent amounts are calculated on the industry’s minimum gazetted rates of pay and awarded to workers actually rate of pay per hour (e.g., the minimum rate of pay for a Rate A worker is R 93.44, the agreed percentage increase is 5%, this equates to a R 4.67 adjustment, which is awarded to a Rate A worker’s actual hourly rate).
Special Phase-in dispensation
This phase-in dispensation is available, on application, to all employers in the industry and was specifically designed to cater for employers who have were operating outside of the scope of the agreement since 2010 (i.e., the last time the Main Agreement was gazetted). This dispensation sets a target for employers to achieve 60% of the 2020 rate by 30 June 2024. At Rate H this amounts to R 29.73 per hour.
Wage Exemptions
The industry’s current wage exemption procedure continues to apply. Any company which is unable to implement the agreed wage increase, leave enhancement pay obligations and/or any other relief sought from the main agreement, is entitled to lodge an exemption with the Regional Bargaining Council with which the company is registered.
Any company requiring any clarification, information, wage tables etc., on the above is invited to call me direct or email me at lucio@seifsa.co.za
Lucio Trentini
Chief Executive Officer
The Organisation of the future will be Federal
The Steel and Engineering Industries of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) celebrates its 80th Anniversary this year and despite the many difficulties and successes experienced by our membership over this period, we remain the most authoritative voice of the metals and engineering industry.
We have, and will continue to be vocal in articulating the concerns of the sector, both publicly in the media as well as in meetings with various influential stakeholders, including in Government. Whenever Government Departments and other stakeholders are keen to solicit the input of the sector or hear its views on various matters, they approach SEIFSA.
SEIFSA is a National Employer Federation representing the views of its 18 independent Employer Associations in the metal and engineering industries, with a combined membership of over a 1000 companies’ employing over 170 000 employees. Through its affiliated Employer Associations, SEIFSA has a presence in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng. Individual companies do not join SEIFSA directly. SEIFSA is a Federation of affiliated Employer Associations which, in turn represent individual member companies in the various sub-sectors of the industry.
I believe organisation of the future will be federal. Federalism is a means of linking independent bodies together in a common cause. In federal organisations there is a centre but not a headquarters. The centre does not direct or command but co-ordinates and operates on the basis of subsidiarity, which means that responsibility and mandating is pushed as far out and down the organisation as possible.
Federal organisations bring their skill, knowledge and wisdom together from around the sector to agree on strategy and aims. They do not issue edicts from the top. Individual members of Associations enjoy access to a range of professional SEIFSA product and services, and have a direct line of communication into SEIFSA to ensure that individual views and concerns are heard.
As we approach the next round of industry negotiations in 2024, individual member companies which are members of one of the Employer Associations federated to SEIFSA will once again bear the responsibility for delivering an agreement that strikes a balance between the interests of both employers and employees in the industry.
Speed, flexibility and transparency of communication will once again feature strongly on how we collectively navigate the process. What matters is that we deliver on time and within mandate. Above all, we must ensure that we are not only seen as doing things right, but more importantly doing right things that matter.
Lucio Trentini
Chief Executive Officer