NUMSA to picket the Japanese embassy on future of Nissan plant; Nissan denies closure rumours

THE National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) says it will be picketing the Japanese Embassy in Pretoria on Friday.

The union intends to hand over a memorandum of demands regarding a “number of grievances” against Nissan’s management in South Africa. 

Included in the list of demands is clarity on what Numsa says is the Japanese car maker’s failure to engage the union on its electric vehicle (EV) ambitions, and transparency on the future of the South African plant.

“ . . .  Some workers are likely to be displaced because the new {EV] technology is not labour intensive,” says Numsa in a statement.

“Workers want to know what the plans are and whether they will be trained and upskilled to adjust to the new technology. 

“There are also plans to terminate at least 150 fixed-term contracts at the plant, and rumours that the Nissan plant [in Pretoria] will be