A group of former BMW employees on Tuesday staged a peaceful march to the BMW Rosslyn Plant, expressing their outrage over unilateral termination of their contract at the age of 60 while they were supposed to work until 65.
The employees alleged that BMW unilaterally modified their employment contracts without their consent, effectively terminating their contracts at the age of 60 instead of 65.
Their representative, David Mohajane, claimed the termination of contracts caused significant emotional distress and financial hardship.
According to him, the workers were unaware of the requirement to file a dispute over unfair dismissal, as they had placed their trust in the company to handle their employment matters fairly.
Mohajane, who worked at the company for 34 years, said: “Our contract of employment was 65 years and the company decided to unilaterally amend that contract to 60 years. In terms of the law, workers were supposed to have lodged a dispute of unfair dismissal.”
He said he left the company in 2016 and like his former colleagues is demanding payment for the five-year difference between 60 and 65 years.
“The other thing that we demand is the benefits of the BMW 100 anniversary when the company decided to compensate workers with 1% of their pension funds. Some of us who left before they could make the payments were not paid,” he said.
The marchers converged at the Rosslyn Police Station in the morning and headed to BMW Plant Rosslyn, where they handed over their memorandum of demands to a company representative who was given a seven-day ultimatum to respond to it.
They reiterated their call for justice and the rightful benefits owed to them, covering the remaining years from age 60 to 65.
They called on BMW to respect and treat its former employees fairly, acknowledging their dedication and contributions to the company's success over the years.
The protest comes after a recent incident in September, where BMW SA employees at the Rosslyn plant staged a protest linked to a fraud investigation involving hundreds of employees accused of medical aid fraud.
At the time, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa had come out in support of the workers, accusing BMW of targeting them unjustly.
Pretoria News