Dozens of workers at BMW’s Rosslyn plant in Akasia, northwest of Pretoria, went on strike on Monday to protest about alleged looming job dismissals.
The industrial action began at 5am outside BMW’s Rosslyn plant.
In a series of videos and pictures that have gone viral on social media, the workers can be seen singing and chanting struggle songs outside the plant.
A couple of police vehicles can also be seen around the area where the demonstrations were taking place.
An employee who spoke to Sunday World on condition of anonymity said the strike started last week, noting that all the workers have downed tools.
He asserted that the workers’ desire to stop BMW’s “mass dismissals without proper consultation” is the cause of the industrial action.
The worker claimed that on Monday, police used rubber bullets to shoot protestors, injuring a few of them.
The worker referred Sunday World to the National Union of Metalworkers South Africa (Numsa) and declined to speak with the newspaper anymore.
A comment from Numsa will be added to the story once received.
BMW sings different tune
At about 3.20pm, BMW South Africa said the plant was fully operational “at the moment and there is no strike”.
“There is still production happening at the plant and not all employees have downed tools,” said BMW South Africa.
The company said it cannot confirm the number of employees who were protesting. The BMW Rosslyn plant has 2500 employees.
The company said the strike is in response to an ongoing fraud investigation within the BMW Employees Medical Aid Scheme (Bemas).
“We are cooperating with law enforcement in their investigation to ensure that the rule of law is upheld,” said BMW South Africa.
“BMW Group South Africa will not tolerate any acts of bribery, fraud or corruption by its employees.
“All internal policies and procedures are being followed, and the necessary disciplinary action will be taken for any employee found in transgression of our disciplinary code.”
The company explained further: “The rumours of workforce reduction to cut a shift are untrue, and should there be any termination of an associate’s contract due to the fraud investigation, we will recruit and upskill new associates, ensuring business continuity.
“The integrity of Bemas is critical to our value proposition as an employer.
“Its core function is to guarantee that our employees and their families have access to the best possible healthcare.”
