MISA says it declared the dispute with the Motor Industry Bargaining Council’s Dispute Resolution Centre after Motus Retail announced unilateral changes to the terms and conditions of employment. The union also sent a letter of demand calling on the company to stop the intended implementation of salary and benefit cuts of up to 30 percent.

According to MISA, affected members were informed on 14 January that their basic salaries would be reduced, that they would no longer be entitled to company vehicles which must be returned by 31 January 2026, and that car, fuel, travel and cell phone allowances would be withdrawn. Employees would also no longer be entitled to incentives or commission.

Consultations between Motus Retail and MISA reached a deadlock. In terms of Section 64, Motus Retail may not implement these unilateral changes pending the resolution of the dispute, the union states.

Martlé Keyter, MISA’s Chief Executive Officer for Operations, says the union would approach the Johannesburg High Court to obtain an interim interdict should Motus Retail fail to comply with the demand. This follows the retrenchment of 86 employees from 1 January 2026 after the company announced a restructuring process in terms of Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act on 9 October.

"MISA will continue to address the reasonableness and fairness of Motus Retail’s decisions and to support affected members and to pursue all lawful avenues to protect their interests during this challenging transition," Martlé says.

In response, SA Vehicle Retail, a division of Motus Holdings Limited, says it initiated a restructuring process in July 2025 following a re-evaluation of its operational performance and requirements. The division employs about 4 000 people across its dealership network and said it needed to realign its business in response to the competitive South African automotive retail environment.

Senior management implemented salary reductions of up to 30 percent from August 2025. Following a three month facilitated process with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), which included MISA, the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) and non-unionised employees, 259 administrative and support related positions were identified as redundant. Of these, 74 percent were redeployed within the Motus Group, while 67 employees were retrenched in January 2026.

SA Retail says further consultations were held to avoid additional job losses. Guided by the CCMA, the company decided to realign incentive structures and company car benefits for administrative and support related employees, impacting about 570 employees by less than 20 percent.

It added that no adjustments would be made to basic salaries and that employees earning less than R15 000 per month would not be negatively affected.

Commenting on the restructuring, SA Retail CEO Gideon Jansen van Rensburg said: “I acknowledge that the past few months have been particularly challenging for many of our people on the SA Retail team, and I would like to thank everyone for their understanding and support throughout this process.”

“SA Retail remains committed to acting responsibly, engaging transparently and ensuring that all employees are treated with fairness, dignity and respect. I am confident that these actions will continue to support a sustainable dealership network that remains effective for all our employees, as well as our customers and stakeholders,” he says.