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Solidarity wants to save bargaining council from ruin

Cape Town - Trade union Solidarity has brought a court application to save the Bargaining Council for the Metal and Engineering Industry (MEIBC), it said on Tuesday.

Solidarity said it served papers on all interested parties to have the MEIBC placed under curatorship.

“The prolonged mismanagement of the MEIBC has been characterised by major financial irregularities, pillaging and internal politicking," said Solidarity deputy general secretary Marius Croucamp.

"All of this has brought the MEIBC to its knees and a point has been reached where the council cannot meet its basic responsibilities anymore."

Solidarity is approaching the Labour Court to obtain an order to appoint a curator/trustee with full business rescue power.

According to Croucamp, this step is not just in the interests of Solidarity members, but in the interests of the industry as a whole.

“Orderly collective bargaining and dispute resolution are key to the stability of the industry. Responsible players in the industry have to work together to protect the industry.”

Croucamp explained that the MEIBC has outstanding debts it cannot redeem.

“Due to outstanding fees of more than R2m owed to Tokiso, dispute resolution in the industry has ground to a virtual halt. The disputes of ordinary people are simply not being heard and dealt with.”

Numerous requests directed to the Minister of Labour to intervene have fallen on deaf ears, said Croucamp.

“The Minister simply turned a blind eye to numerous letters expounding the dismal state of the council’s finances and the mismanagement of it."

Solidarity said it hopes the curator/ trustee who will be appointed would be able to get the council back on track and would be able to free it from the grip of paralysis it is in at the moment.

“The curator will be given three months to turn matters around. If that that does not happen, then the MEIBC could face final liquidation in 2017,” Croucamp explained.

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