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 legal protection — and your employer can fire you for it.
No Legal Cover, No Union Backup
This isn’t a technicality buried in fine print. Under South African labour law, unprotected strikes leave workers fully exposed to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal. MISA isn’t softening that reality for its members.
MISA CEO of Operations Martle Keyter was direct: “We understand the anger and frustration, but we cannot allow our members to risk their livelihoods by joining an unprotected protest.”
The Union Isn’t Dismissing Your Anger — But It’s Drawing a Hard Line
MISA is not pretending the grievances don’t exist. The association openly acknowledges that the protests are being driven by real, urgent issues — rising crime, unemployment, and a border management system that isn’t working.
But acknowledging the problem and endorsing the response are two different things. Keyter stated plainly: “We will never support unlawful protest or vigilantism.”
What MISA Says It Stands For
The Bigger Picture: Workers Caught Between Rage and Rent
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.
MISA’s position is clear: change must come through legal avenues, and it’s the government’s job — not workers’ livelihoods — 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.
