The National Council of the Bargaining Council for the Electrical Industries have decided to continue helping direct dependants of employees and employers in the industry with study assistance. The money will be distributed to the deserving learners whose applications would have been approved by the selection panel. The decisive criteria are that (a) the applicant must be a child of an active employee or employer in the industry or a child of deceased former employee or employer in the industry and (b) the applicant must have applied and been admitted to a tertiary institution or post matric institution of higher learning. When these criteria are satisfied, the applicant will be considered. This benefit applies to employees of the parties to the Bargaining Council as well.
The competitive advantage
The applicants will be classified according to the region in which the employer is registered and then ranked in that region according to academic performance in Matric. The top students amongst the applicants will receive the bursary from the National Bargaining Council for the Electrical Industry using this classification criteria.
Ten thousand Rand per successful applicant
Each applicant will receive R10 000 study assistance per year. If there is money needed to top this up, this must be raised by the applicant. This bursary is open to the learners that are completing matric in 2024 and subsequent years. We will be able to make a commitment for up to five years. This means that the maximum that can be allocated is R50 000 per applicant over five years. These numbers are subject to review in the coming years depending on affordability. The National Council will consider requests for further funding but is not making a commitment to make this possible as the only allocated money is R2 million at this stage.
Exciting development
This development excites me no end and I am proud to have played a decisive role in ensuring that it happens. I was taken to school by a domestic worker, and it was not easy. If my brother Motlhantsweng Phillip Mfikoe, did not help with money he earned as a driver at Farmers Brown Chicken, the world would not have known who Mogomotsi Mfikoe is. I have also been a contractor and one of the things that I anticipated every January is that my employees would come to me asking for loans to pay institutions of higher learning, so as their children can have a chance in life. We have made R2 million available to help educate the dependants of employees and employers. Our social partners at the Bargaining Council, SAEWA, played a significant role in this development and I want to thank them in the same way as I thank the ECA(SA). This partnership not only helps workers and their employers but has extended its positive impact on the children. We will celebrate this moment for years to come and wish to make the fund bigger in the future. I am thrilled.
Hlophekazi Kubayi will be receiving your applications at Hlophekazi@nbcei.co.za. As soon as your results are out, please make your submissions. Applications are going to close on 30 January 2025 and allocations will be done by the 07 February 2025. This will be a fair and transparent process.
Written by: Mogomotsi M. Mfikoe
National Director: ECA(SA)
