Employees at Motus Retail face a bleak New Year after 86 workers were retrenched and a further 579 were affected by remuneration and benefit changes implemented from 1 January 2026.
The retrenchments are among the largest MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, has dealt with this year, as pressure in the motor retail sector intensifies following the influx of Chinese vehicle brands.
Motus announced a restructuring process in terms of Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act on 9 October, after reporting a 1% decline in revenue to R112.60 billion for the year ended 30 June. Operating profit also slipped slightly to R5.48 billion. The JSE listed company attributed the revenue decline mainly to lower new vehicle sales, which fell by R3.33 billion or 6%, largely in its international operations.
Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer: Operations, says Tiekie Mocke, Manager of MISA's Legal Department, together with senior labour advisors Ngoni Goba and Anne Marie Bodenstein, represented the affected employees. MISA represents more than 75 000 members and is the majority trade union in the retail motor industry.
"MISA worked tirelessly with members and the employer's representatives to save jobs and to resist unreasonable reductions to remuneration and the removal of long-standing benefits. Initially up to 900 employees were facing remuneration and benefit realignment. MISA’s sustained engagement significantly reduced the impact.
"Despite these efforts, MISA remains deeply concerned about proposed reductions of up to 30% cost to company (CTC), particularly where the calculation methodology remains unclear.
"MISA did not sign an agreement at the conclusion of the final facilitation session and continues to assess the reasonableness and fairness of the implemented changes," says Keyter.
In response, a Motus spokesperson confirmed that the SA Retail division entered a formal consultation process in line with Section 189A of the Labour Relations Act during the fourth quarter of 2025.
“Presently, the number of roles affected in SA Retail represents less than 2% of the overall roles in the division,” the spokesperson said, adding that the affected positions were largely administrative. The process is expected to conclude on 31 January 2026.
Read full article on our sister publication, Dealerfloor.co.za at: https://dealerfloor.co.za/industry-news/bleak-new-year-for-a-number-of-employees-at-motus
Staff Writer
Reporting from the front lines of the automotive industry, delivering expert analysis and the technical updates that drive the South African motor sector forward.
