‘Really important’ to avoid strikes this year, says Ford SA boss

The South African automotive industry has “worked hard this labour season”, holding a number of “premeetings and indabas”, in an effort to be ready for the triennial negotiations to thrash out a new multiyear wage agreement, says Ford Motor Company sub-Saharan Africa president and CEO Jeff Nemeth. “Our discussions [with the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa] have been positive to date. We have not seen any showstoppers on any side. We hope we can weave our way through the negotiations without a strike.”