- GIWUSA says Sasol is refusing to facilitate union deductions for more than 300 members at its Secunda branch.
- The dispute before the CCMA relates to the deduction of trade union subscriptions or levies.
- GIWUSA says workers turned to the union amid growing dissatisfaction with representation and deteriorating working conditions.
The General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) and Sasol South Africa are locked in a dispute at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) after the union accused the petrochemical giant of refusing to facilitate trade union subscription deductions for hundreds of workers at the company’s operations.
GIWUSA says it has more than 300 members at Sasol Secunda and more than 100 members in Sasolburg whose union deductions are already being processed by the company. The union says many other workers are waiting for the deduction process to commence before formally joining GIWUSA.
According to GIWUSA deputy general secretary Charles Phaahla, the dispute arose after the union approached Sasol South Africa in March 2026, asserting its position as part of the National Bargaining Council for the Chemical Industry and requesting the facilitation of stop order deductions for members at Secunda.
Phaahla said the company declined to meet with the union, leading GIWUSA to refer the matter to the CCMA. The CCMA notice identifies the primary issue in dispute as the “Deduction of trade union subscription or levies” between GIWUSA and Sasol South Africa.
Workers sought alternative representation
Phaahla said the majority of workers at Sasol Secunda were historically represented by the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union (CEPPWAWU) and the South African Chemical Workers’ Union (SACWU).
He said they had been involved in negotiating health and safety agreements at the workplace before the formation of CEPPWAWU. “The workers reached out to us now because we were part of that history, and they feel the other unions are not representing their interests,” he said.
GIWUSA president Mametlwe Sebei said that with CEPPWAWU placed under administration by the Registrar of Labour Relations in June 2020, following a failure to manage its own affairs dating back to 2018, it became aligned with the employer, the administrator sided with the employer. Most important, it meant the union was no longer controlled by the workers, Sebei said.
He said the administrator failed to be combative when it came to defending the rights of workers. “In that time, the working conditions continued to deteriorate,” Sebei said.
Phaahla clarified that the current full-time shop stewards receiving allowances of about R7 500 are affiliated to CEPPWAWU and not GIWUSA. He said workers began looking for alternatives because they felt their concerns were no longer being addressed.
He said Sasol’s representatives at the CCMA on 15 May 2026 insisted on written confirmation that GIWUSA forms part of the Bargaining Council despite the union already appearing on the council’s records and existing documentation confirming its status.
“What we are seeking is recognition as part of the Bargaining Council and the facilitation of membership deductions for our members,” he said.
Union threatens escalation
Phaahla argued that Sasol already processes union deductions for GIWUSA members in Sasolburg but has refused to do so in Secunda, despite the union already having more than 300 members at the operation. He said older agreements remain in place at Secunda, and workers there have raised concerns about poor working conditions.
Phaahla said GIWUSA would send a formal letter to the employer on Monday, 18 May 2026, confirming its status within the Bargaining Council together with the proposed settlement agreement.
“At the CCMA, it was agreed that they would wait for the letter confirming GIWUSA as part of the Bargaining Council. Verification will start afterwards, and deductions will commence,” he said.
Phaahla warned that if the settlement agreement is not signed, the union would escalate the matter, including referring it to Sasol’s head office if necessary. “If they don’t sign the settlement agreement, we will escalate the matter or resort to other means,” he said.
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