Motus Retail scales back cuts in bid to minimises job losses
Motus Retail has reduced the number of employees affected by its realignment process from 570 to 318
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Motus Retail has reduced the number of employees affected by its realignment process from 570 to 318, in an effort to avoid further retrenchments.
This comes as the Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) continues to challenge Motus’ initial proposal as unilateral and unlawful, filing an urgent Labour Court interdict on behalf of 275 employees. The union argued at the time that adjustments to incentive structures and company car benefits threatened livelihoods.
However, Motus has revealed that it has now developed a new plan to further reduce the impact on employees. The revised proposal focuses on realigning incentive structures and company car benefits for administrative and support staff, while leaving basic salaries unchanged for most employees.
According to the company, the plan includes:
- No adjustments to basic salaries for administrative and support staff, with senior management taking pay cuts of up to 30% from August 2025.
- Realignment of incentive structures and company car benefits in line with industry benchmarks, affecting less than 20% of total remuneration.
- Exclusion of employees earning below R15,000 per month from the realignment.
- Maintaining earnings for affected employees at an average of 125% above the Motor Industry Bargaining Council (MIBCO) minimum.
Motus said the reduction in affected employees was “a result of ongoing engagements and mitigation measures implemented by SA Retail”. The company stressed that the realignment of incentive structures and company car benefits is separate from the earlier retrenchment of 67 employees.
SA Retail CEO Gideon Jansen van Rensburg confirmed that “there have not been any changes to conditions of employment or benefits, and all employees were paid their full salaries and incentives on the 23rd of January 2026.
He added that the company “remains committed to ongoing engagement with MISA and to maintaining a transparent process, with the aim of finding workable solutions that minimise the risk of further job losses.”
The company noted that affected staff currently earn on average 160% above the Motor Industry Bargaining Council (MIBCO) minimum, and would still earn 125% above it if the revised plan is accepted.
“SA Retail remains committed to ongoing engagement with MISA and to maintaining a transparent process, with the aim of finding workable solutions that minimise the risk of further job losses.”
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