Ford SA spokesperson, Duduzile Nxele, was also unable to comment on how long it would take the plant to catch up on lost production of Ranger vehicles.

“The team is still assessing this,” she said.

Nxele said the dispute with workers belonging to the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), which started on 4 July 2024, has been amicably concluded and striking employees were scheduled to return to work on Friday to resume normal Ranger production operations at the Silverton assembly plant.

Ford SA did not provide any details about how the dispute that led to the strike had been resolved.

Numsa general secretary, Irvin Jim, confirmed on Thursday that the union had successfully negotiated the return to work of its members at Ford SA following the strike.

Jim said that despite Ford securing an interim order from the Labour Court and Ford’s subsequent threat to dismiss striking workers, more than 3 000 workers refused to return to work and production ground to a halt.

“After days of marathon behind-the-scenes negotiations with Ford management to address the legitimate grievances of workers, Numsa was able to secure an agreement that all workers would be able to return to work and that there would be no disciplinary sanction for those who participated in the strike.

“In addition, Numsa also negotiated that Ford paid workers R20 000 each as a deadlock breaking mechanism and to pay these monies as soon as possible following the return of workers to the workplace,” he said.

Ford SA has released statements about the strike but has not responded to specific questions posed about the strike.

The company has also not mentioned that each worker will be paid R20 000 as part of the deadlock-breaking mechanism.

Jim said Ford SA did not regard this payment as the company acceding to the strike demand of workers for profit-sharing.

However, Jim said: “Numsa is of the firm view that a very important foundation has been laid for workers at Ford (and in South Africa in general) to share in the profits of companies to create a more equitable society and eradicate the tendency in the world that a few billionaires could consistently increase their exorbitant wealth at the expense of workers and on the basis of the exploitation of the working class.

“This is indeed a very positive development towards a more just and equitable society,” he said.

Jim added that Numsa believed the working class should benefit from the profits that are generated because workers create wealth.

Numsa said it issued Ford SA with a strike notice on 1 July 2024.

The company said Numsa subsequently declared a dispute with the company on 3 July 2024 at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), with a certificate of non-resolution issued by the CCMA.

Ford requested non-striking employees to work from home for the duration of the strike and advised striking workers it had a long-term commitment to South Africa and has invested heavily in its operations and local employees.

“Regrettably, production disruptions have a profound impact on South Africa’s economy and global reputation as a place to do business.

“When making decisions about future investment, consistency of production is vital to maintaining competitiveness and an important factor when determining manufacturing locations.

“We hope that all employees will return to work as soon as possible,” it said on 3 July 2024.

Ford SA approached the Labour Court on 5 July 2024 and successfully interdicted the strike, which meant any further strike action would be considered unlawful and unprotected.

The company requested all employees based at the Silverton assembly plant to return to work on Monday, 8 July 2024.

Ford SA said on 5 July 2024 it was committed to engaging on an ongoing basis with Numsa in good faith on the matter without ever disclosing what “matter” it was referring to and again urged workers to return to work.