The announcement of First Battery's plans to cut 165 workers has caused significant disagreement regarding the company's management decisions. The National Union of Metallurgists of South Africa (Numsa) stated on Monday that the layoffs at its subsidiary, Metair, First Battery, are a result of the management's inability to prepare the company for the changing demands of the automotive industry.
Union and Company Stance
Numsa General Secretary, Irwin Jim, asserts that the planned dismissals could have been prevented. First Battery, in turn, reported that the decision to downsize was not easy and followed a lengthy consultation process. The company stated that during this process it engaged with employee representatives, striving to find viable alternatives and minimize the negative impact on staff.
Conflict Over Strategy
Numsa accused First Battery of implementing strategies that contradict the Vision 2035 Masterplan, which aims for 60% localization by 2035. The union pointed out that the company sells imported batteries in South Africa and supplies them to BMW. Irwin Jim emphasized that these job losses are a direct result of poor decisions made by the management team, which lacks the vision to position the business strategy within the automotive sector.