Union challenges automotive group Motus on retrenchments, salary cuts

Trade union MISA, the Motor Industry Staff Association, has declared a dispute with big player Motus Holdings, over plans for retrenchments and salary cuts.

It's reported that pay and benefit cuts could reduce remuneration packages by up to 30%.

Motus Retail already retrenched 86 employees from 1 January, which followed the announcement of a restructuring process.

The vehicle dealer is a market leader in South Africa and also has selected international offerings in the UK, Australia, Asia and Southern and East Africa.

Motus Group CEO Ockert Janse van Rensburg earlier acknowledged that the company was slow to embrace Chinese vehicle brands and is now having to play catchup.

MISA says Motus informed members on 14 January of the following:

• Reduced basic salaries
• No entitlement to company vehicles and vehicles to be returned by 31 January 2026
• No entitlement to car-, fuel-, travel- and cell phone allowances
• No entitlement to receive incentives and/or commission

Stephen Grootes interviews Gideon Jansen van Rensburg, CEO of Motus Retail South Africa.

Jansen van Rensburg sketches the background to the need to "rationalise" the business, also highlighting that the influx of particularly affordable Chinese models has made the local vehicle market more competitive.

"The South African automotive retail environment has experienced significant structural disruption in recent years, and as a business operation at scale we as a division of the broader Motus group had to respond responsibly to ensure the long-term sustainability and competitiveness of our operations."

"While the volumes have increased, the average value of the vehicles sold have declined and it's placing continued pressure on the margins that dealerships can make."

He notes that Motus Retail were able to place 74% of the staff members earmarked for retrenchment within the broader M group, leading to 67 people losing their jobs.

The measures the business is taking are "purely an attempt to avoid further retrenchments, Jansen van Rensburg says. 

MISA's Sonja Carstens, however, says the union questions this "drastic" action, especially in view of the fact that record sales were recorded throughout the retail motor industry in the last three months of 2025.

Scroll up to the audio player to hear more from Jansen van Rensburg, and listen to MISA's point of view in the audio link below: