Welcome

South African Engineers’ and Founders’ Association

The SA Engineers and Founders Association (SAEFA) represents the interests of hundreds of member companies in the metal and engineering industry. These companies range in size from very small employers to large multinational organisations. SAEFA not only offers a wide range of direct services to member companies but also represents the interests of our members at both industry and national levels. 

SAEFA’s direct services to member companies, available at a reduced fee to these companies compared to what a non-member company would pay in the market, include assistance on all matters affecting the relationship between themselves and their employees/trade unions – for example:

  • Dispute resolution, conciliation, mediation and arbitration services 
  • Advice, assistance, consultancy and training on labour legislation, employment conditions and all other Industrial Relations matters
  • Assistance is also provided with health and safety matters, broad-based black economic empowerment, contract price adjustments and skills development through our affiliate organisations

For full information on these services contact SAEFA’s Executive Director, Gordon Angus, at gordon@saefa.co.za. 

SAEFA also represents the interests of our member companies in all industry negotiations with the industry’s trade unions, not only on wages and other conditions of employment but also on the industry’s benefit funds which provide benefits to employees such as pensions, permanent disability and sick pay benefits. SAEFA has its own seats at the MEIBC, participating directly in all activities there.

Being a member of SAEFA allows you to have a direct say in what happens in your industry.

 

News

Webinar | COVID- 19: The Employers Survival Guide for SAEFA

30 March 2020

SAEFA and Cliffe Dekker Hofmeyr Inc. have teamed up in an effort to guide companies through this difficult period.  We are running a free webinar on Wednesday, 1 April 2020, from 13h00 until 15h00 to answer all your questions around the Covid-19 pandemic, the lockdown and the effects on the sector and companies. 

Amendment to Lockdown Regulations

27 March 2020

Please find the amendment to the lockdown regulations below:

Amendment of Lockdown Regulations

Essential businesses need to apply for certificate

26 March 2020

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr Ebrahim Patel has announced that all businesses that will be allowed to provide essential services are required to seek approval from the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic)  in order for them to trade during the period of the lockdown in terms of the regulations published today by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Ms Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in Regulation Gazette No. 11062

Such businesses are required to apply to the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) Bizportal website at www.bizportal.gov.za and obtain a certificate from the Commission that allows them to continue trading. The Bizportal website will contain a menu icon listed as “Essential Service Businesses” through which an application can be made to the CIPC.  The application will be a simple declaration requiring minimal registration details, type of business/trade involved in, what trading name if any is used and whether it meets the requirements contained in the essential services list, the contact details of the person applying as well as the number of employees that will be working during the lockdown period.  The CIPC registry will then pre-populate the remaining company information and email a certificate stating that the business is allowed to remain trading.

The certificate can then be used as evidence to authorities requiring same that indeed the business has been given government permission to trade and that its employees are able to have unrestricted movement ONLY in the course of that trade.

UIF's Temporary Employer/ Employee Relief Scheme

26 March

On 17 March 2020 the Minister of Employment and Labour, Mr. TW Nxesi announced that UIF’s Temporary Employer/ Employee Relief Scheme will be used to ensure that workers are not laid off, as one of the  measures the Department will put in place to contain the spread of the Corona virus pandemic and its impact.

Below is the information outlining  conditions and the  processes for the  Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme (TERS).

  1. THE CURRENT TERS PROCESS

1.1.      The current TERS process came into effect on 11 December 2019 when it was approved by the Director General.

1.2.      In terms of the current TERS process, the UIF may fund the distressed companies directly in relation to the TERS Allowance.

1.3.      The distressed company will only be funded if it meets the key requirements of the UIF being:

1.3.1.     distressed company is able to demonstrate that it has been compliant with the relevant UIF legislation;

1.3.2.     if not compliant, the distressed company undertakes to pay outstanding contributions and bring its declarations up to date within a stipulated timeframe;                    

1.3.3.     the distressed company is able to demonstrate that it will/or has embarked upon a turnaround or sustainability programme which will result in job preservation at the expiry of the funding agreement; and

1.3.4.     the distressed company will be able to meet its obligations in relation to the UIF legislation.