Goodyear intends discontinuing its manufacturing operations in South Africa

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) said on Friday that it is dismayed at the announcement made by Goodyear South Africa that it intends to discontinue its manufacturing operations in South Africa.

The union has been served with a section 189 notice from Paul Gerrard the Managing Director of Goodyear Tyres in South Africa. The manufacturing plant is located in Uitenhage in the Eastern Cape, and the company envisages that at least 907 employees will be affected by the plant closure.

"As the region we are deeply worried about the impact on workers and their families, in Uitenhage. It is becoming a ghost town given that ContiTech, which is part of Continental, closed down and it is also in the same tyre and rubber industry. At the same time, it may not be easy to replace these jobs. The Eastern Cape has a very high unemployment rate at 41.9% according to StatsSA," it said.

Numsa said while the outlook is bleak, "as Numsa, we stand ready to do everything we can to defend the jobs of our members, and to do all we can to negotiate fair severance packages. The dates of the first consultation will be communicated in due course."

Business Report is seeking comment from Goodyear.

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