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