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Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act No. 66 of 1995)

Notices

Bargaining Council for the Furniture Manufacturing Industry

Extension to Non-Parties of the Main Collective Agreement

Chapter 2: Council Benefit Funds

3. Membership of the Council Benefit Funds/Schemes

 

3.1 Membership of the Council benefit funds/schemes shall be compulsory for all party employees who are employed by party employers and for all non-party employees who are employed by non-party employers when this agreement is extended to non-party employees and employers in terms of section 32 of the LRA by the Minister of Employment and Labour.

 

To obtain membership of the Council benefit funds/schemes, these employees and employers  must fall  within the  registered scope of this Council and this Collective Agreement must prescribe their wages.

 

Membership of either the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or the NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society may be obtained by qualifying in terms of the applicable Fund's rules and by electing to  become  a  member. Contributions payable to either of these Funds, if applicable, are as prescribed in ADDENDUM 1.

 

3.2 Membership of the Council's Benefit Funds/Schemes shall:
3.2.1 consist of all employees, other than casual employees, in the Industry for whom wages are prescribed in this Collective Agreement; and
3.2.2 subject to the approval of the Council, Board of Trustees or Committee(s), be granted to such other persons whom are directly employed in the Industry and who wish to become voluntary members of either the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or the NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society and in respect of whom their employers have agreed to make the contributions prescribed in ADDENDUM 1 and subject to the rules of those two individual funds.
3.2.3 Membership shall cease when a member leaves the Industry or in the event of death or permanent disability of a member.
3.2.4 Special provisions applicable to members who were formerly members of the Transvaal Furniture Workers' Mortality Association and the Transvaal Bedding Workers' Mortality Benefit Association and the former Transvaal Furniture Workers' Burial Society and the Transvaal Workers' Burial Society and who retired from the Industry owing to old age or ill health or who reached the age of 65 years on or before 1 October 1988 shall be entitled to benefits as prescribed in the former Mortality Association and Burial Society Agreements.
3.2.5 Membership of the Fund/Scheme shall not cease due to a member or employee attaining the age of 65, or where the inability of the member or employee to work is due to ill health, temporary disability or owing to short time.

 

3.3 Membership of Furnmed Sick Benefit Society and NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society:
3.3.1 Existing  membership

An employee who has been a member of either of the Sick Benefit Societies prior to 1 May 2020, is regarded as an existing member and shall from the first full pay week in May 2020, be paid a prescribed medical allowance per week by the employer and the employee shall pay the weekly contributions to the relevant Society, as prescribed in ADDENDUM 1.

3.3.2 New membership - from 29 June 2022 as was gazetted under Government Gazette No 43447 under Notice R.333 of 19 June 2020

Any employee employed by an employer within the registered scope of this Council, for whom wages are prescribed in the Collective Agreement, may apply to become a voluntary member of either the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or the NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society, subject to the employee qualifying in terms of the applicable fund rules and the employee concerned, paying the prescribed employee only contributions as reflected in ADDENDUM 1, to the relevant Society.    If successful , the  rules of the  Fund concerned  shall apply to the member.

3.3.3 Ordinary membership

Any employee employed by an employer within the registered scope of this Council, for whom wages are prescribed in the Collective Agreement, may apply to become a member of either the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or the NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society, subject to the employee qualifying and both the employer and employee concerned, paying the prescribed contributions which are applicable to the  relevant  Society.  If successful,  the rules of the  Fund concerned shall apply to the member.

3.3.4 Voluntary membership

Employees who are employed in the Industry for whom wages are not prescribed in this Agreement may be admitted as voluntary members of the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society in terms of the relevant Society's rules.

3.3.5 Continuation membership

Employees who were existing or voluntary members of the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society immediately prior to permanent retirement from the Industry owing to old age (65 years or more) or to permanent disability as substantiated by a medical certificate(s), or dependant widows/widowers of deceased continuation members may be admitted as continuation members of the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society depending on the original Society's membership.

3.3.6 Termination of membership

Membership of both the Societies shall terminate within one month of a member leaving the Industry.

3.3.7 Reserves of the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society and NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society

If at any time the reserves of the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society drop below the average of one month's contributions, the payment of benefits shall cease and shall not be resumed until the reserves of the Societies exceed the aggregate of two months' contributions.

3.3.8 Right of recourse

If it is established that a member has ceased to be a member of the Furnmed Sick Benefit Society or NUFAWSA Sick Benefit Society, and the Society has in error or contractually paid for any medical expenses incurred by such member and/or his registered dependants, the Fund trustees shall have the right to deduct the amount(s) from the member's  Provident Fund contributions and transfer the amount(s) due to the relevant Society.