Motus Select Roodepoort. Picture: Facebook/Motus Select (Roodepoort) The Motor Industry Staff Association (Misa), the largest union in the automotive sector, has declared a dispute with Motus Holdings, South Africa’s large automotive group, to halt the company’s plans to cut employees’ benefits and salaries by 30%. Motus operates in Southern Africa, the United Kingdom and Australia (Motus Holdings), dealing in vehicle sales, rentals, distribution and parts.
The decision to cut salaries comes after the JSE-listed company felt the heat from Chinese car brands in SA, leading to lower sales. The company retrenched some of its employees on 1 January 2026, and the cutback plan will affect hundreds of employees. While this might be a move to save the company some money, its CEO received an increase in remuneration, according to the group’s financial statement for the year ended 30 June 2025.
Motus’ cutback plan has been received with criticism, with Misa approaching the Motor Industry Bargaining Council’s (MIBCO) Dispute Resolution Centre (DRC). According to Misa, Motus Retail informed affected employees on 14 January 2026 that the following will be implemented in their employment: The union added that its consultations with Motus reached a deadlock. “In terms of section (64), Motus Retail may not implement these unilateral changes, pending the resolution of the dispute,” said Misa.
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Martlé Keyter, Misa’s CEO, said the union will approach the Johannesburg High Court to obtain an interim interdict should Motus not halt the implementation of the cutback plan. “Misa’s members did not agree to any of the salary or benefit cuts. They were not given an alternative option,” she said.
“Misa confirmed that Motus Retail cannot unilaterally implement cuts to existing conditions of employment.” There seems to be conflicting numbers on how many employees were retrenched from 1 January 2026. Misa has the number of retrenched employees as 86, while Motus told The Citizen that 67 employees were retrenched.
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