If you’re a motor industry worker thinking about joining the #MarchandMarch protests on June 30<\/strong>, your union has a blunt message for you: you’re on your own. The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has warned its members that participating in the planned demonstrations carries zero legal protection \u2014 and your employer can fire you for it.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n This isn’t a technicality buried in fine print. Under South African labour law, unprotected strikes leave workers fully exposed<\/strong> to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. MISA isn’t softening that reality for its members.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n MISA CEO of Operations Martle Keyter<\/strong> was direct: “We understand the anger and frustration, but we cannot allow our members to risk their livelihoods by joining an unprotected protest.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n MISA is not pretending the grievances don’t exist. The association openly acknowledges that the protests are being driven by real, urgent issues<\/strong> \u2014 rising crime, unemployment, and a border management system that isn’t working.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n But acknowledging the problem and endorsing the response are two different things. Keyter stated plainly: “We will never support unlawful protest or vigilantism.”<\/em><\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/p>\n This is the impossible position many South African workers find themselves in right now. The frustration is legitimate. The system feels broken. But the people with the most to lose from a dismissal are often the same people with the most reason to march.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n MISA’s position is clear: change must come through legal avenues<\/strong>, and it’s the government’s job \u2014 not workers’ livelihoods \u2014 to be put on the line. Whether that message lands with members who feel they’ve been waiting too long for that government action is another question entirely.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MISA Tells Members: March and You Could Lose Your Job If you’re a motor industry worker thinking about joining the #MarchandMarch protests on June 30, your union has a blunt message for you: you’re on your own. The Motor Industry Staff Association (MISA) has warned its members that participating in the planned demonstrations carries zero […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3980,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3981","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-economy","category-trending"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nNo Legal Cover, No Union Backup<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
The Union Isn’t Dismissing Your Anger \u2014 But It’s Drawing a Hard Line<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n
What MISA Says It Stands For<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n
The Bigger Picture: Workers Caught Between Rage and Rent<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n