other employer parties , and subsequently in the Federation ’ s direct engagements with its respective labour partners – SEIFSA signed a three-year wage agreement with the trade unions .
“ The 2017 wage negotiation process was long and hard , and there were considerable challenges along the way , but we were hugely relieved that finally employers and our labour partners were able to reach an historic agreement on realistic wage adjustments for the next three years .
“ It was not easy . Neither we nor the unions were entirely happy with the agreement reached , but we all had to live with it . We believe that it was the best possible agreement that we could reach under the circumstances , and we believe that it was fair to both parties .”
The role of labour in the sector
Unlike its detractors , Mr Nyatsumba says that SEIFSA and its members believe that labour is an important , indispensable partner , and not an enemy .
“ We believe that it is fundamentally important for employers and labour to forge a strong relationship , based on mutual respect , to be able to engage meaningfully on what needs to be done to improve the welfare of the sector . We believe that the two stakeholder groups need to strive for win-win solutions at all times , because there is no business without labour , and there are no employees without employers .”
Mr Nyatsumba acknowledged that business and labour do not always agree and will not always agree on everything , but SEIFSA has pledged to have any differences that may exist between the two parties discussed constructively in an ongoing effort to ensure that both parties understand each other ’ s positions and , hopefully , eventually get to see things in the same light .
Therefore , SEIFSA remains committed to working closely with its labour partners to lobby the Government for policies that will enable business to thrive in order to create jobs and to make the country an attractive investment destination .
Looking back , Mr Nyatsumba believes that his greatest successes , thus far , include successfully navigating the Federation during its transition period , turning SEIFSA ’ s finances around from being in a serious deficit when he took over in 2013 to making a profit in 2017 , the establishment of the Southern African Metals and Engineering Indaba and the SEIFSA Awards for Excellence , as well as establishing the SEIFSA Small Business Hub .
SEIFSA has come a long way since I started here . We have much to celebrate , but the journey continues . We have adopted another threeyear strategy that seeks to ensure that SEIFSA remains sustainable , that we continue on our journey to enter and penetrate the rest of the SADC region and that we ensure that we maintain SEIFSA ’ s position as the credible voice of the metals and engineering sector
Advocacy and Lobbying
Since his arrival at SEIFSA , Mr Nyatsumba has considerably improved the Federation ’ s public profile by ensuring that its voice is heard loudly on a range of issues that affect the business community in general , and not only the metals and engineering sector . Not only does SEIFSA issue regular press releases on a number of issues , but both Mr Nyatsumba and senior Executives from the organisation have often been featured on print , radio and television interviews , in the process generating publicity with an Advertising Value Equivalent that has at times exceeded R100 million per annum . He has also arranged important meetings with key stakeholders , such as the governing African National Congress and a number of Cabinet Ministers such as Dr Rob Davies at the Department of Trade and Industry and Ms Mildred Oliphant at the Department of Labour , among others .
In 2016 , Mr Nyatsumba was elected onto the Board of Business Unity South Africa and Chairman of its Social and Ethics Committee .
The Way Forward
“ SEIFSA has come a long way since I started here . We have much to celebrate , but the journey continues . We have adopted another three-year strategy that seeks to ensure that SEIFSA remains sustainable , that we continue on our journey to enter and penetrate the rest of the SADC region and that we ensure that we maintain SEIFSA ’ s position as the credible voice of the metals and engineering sector not only in the media , but in all the platforms the Federation participates in , including Nedlac , BUSA , the International Trade Administration Commission and numerous other national and industry forums .
“ Indeed we have succeeded in a lot of what we set out to achieve five years ago , but as the late Nelson Mandela put , it : ‘ after climbing a great hill , one only finds that there are many more hills to climb ’ … Yes , we have done well , but new challenges await us as the journey to the next five years continues .
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SEIFSA AT 75 - SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE MAGAZINE