A Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa processing manager has been fingered in an alleged sexual harassment incident involving a National Union of Metalworkers of SA female member and employee.
Following these revelations, the trade union has vowed to pressurise Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa to act against the culprit, who reportedly received a slap on the wrist.
In a statement, Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said the union strongly condemns the incident and accused the company of not doing enough to protect the female employee.
“The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) condemns the management of Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa for being soft on sexual harassment in the workplace. Numsa is disturbed by the manner in which Ford has treated the case of sexual harassment involving a Process Coach, who has been let off the hook with a slap on the wrist for allegedly harassing a worker.
“Ford is a multi-national company, and it is a disgrace that a company of this size, with a global reputation, can treat an issue as serious as sexual harassment in this way,” Hlubi-Majola said.
Hlubi-Majola said the union has since taken the matter up with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on Friday, following the decision taken by the company to issue a written warning to the coach manager after a grievance procedure.
‘’One of our members participated in a Grievance hearing on the 12th of December 2022, following complaints that she lodged against the Process Coach over his unwanted sexual advances. The initial complaint of sexual harassment was laid formally in August 2022, but the alleged harassment took place in March of that year.
The grievance hearing heard how the Process Coach, who is also her line manager, offered to buy the victim red lingerie in an attempt to persuade her to get romantically involved with him. At some point, he even held her hand and declared his love for her in front of another employee, which left our member feeling disturbed and uncomfortable.
‘’All of his romantic advances were rejected by the victim. In October last year, she alleged that the Process Coach went as far as suggesting that she should be willing to go out on a date with him in exchange for him to sign her family responsibility leave form. (She was applying for leave because her son almost drowned,“ the union said..
The company’s corporate communications manager Duduzile Nxele told City Press that a skilled external professional was given the task to handle the complaint after the sexual harassment allegations were levelled by Numsa.
“The process conforms in every respect to the code of good practice regulating issues of harassment in the workplace by which the company is bound. The employee concerned has lodged a complaint with the CCMA, which the company will address and respond to in the appropriate manner,” Nxele told City Press.