Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council
Employment & Business Security · Road Freight Industry
Be part of building something better
Register Your Interest
Employment & Business Security · Road Freight Industry
Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council is being established as more than a bargaining council — it is an employment security council. Our purpose is to ensure that every skilled employee has the greatest possible opportunity to remain employed, and every member business has the support it needs to stay viable. Register your interest today and help us meet the registration threshold.
Pre-Register Your BusinessThe Future of the South African Road Freight Industry Starts Today
For many years, the road freight industry has faced increasing pressure. Rising operating costs, skills shortages, compliance requirements, labour disputes and economic uncertainty have made it more difficult than ever for transport companies to remain competitive while protecting jobs.
When business slows down, experienced drivers are often retrenched. At the very same time, another transport company may be desperately searching for qualified drivers. Valuable skills are lost, recruitment costs increase and families are left without an income.
We believe there is a better way.
The Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council has been established around one simple but powerful principle:
Protect jobs before they are lost.
Our vision is not to create another organisation that simply regulates the industry. Our vision is to build a voluntary council that actively supports employers, employees and the transport sector by creating practical solutions that strengthen businesses while keeping skilled people economically active.
Imagine an industry where companies can immediately access a national database of qualified drivers, where retrenched employees are connected with new employment opportunities before becoming unemployed, where members receive expert labour relations and compliance support, and where training continuously improves the quality of South Africa's professional drivers.
This is the future we intend to build.
Membership of the Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council is about far more than compliance. It is about collaboration. It is about reducing recruitment costs, improving productivity, strengthening labour relations, sharing skills and creating employment security for thousands of transport workers across South Africa.
Every successful industry is built on strong partnerships. We therefore invite transport companies, employers, employees, industry stakeholders and professional organisations to become Founding Members of this initiative.
As a Founding Member, you will have the opportunity to contribute towards the development of the Council, influence its direction and help establish an organisation that serves the interests of the transport industry for many years to come.
Together we can create an industry where businesses grow, skilled drivers remain employed and employers have access to the support they need to compete successfully in an ever-changing economy.
The future of road freight does not depend on working harder. It depends on working together.
We invite you to join us in building a stronger, more sustainable and employment-focused transport industry for South Africa.
Traditional bargaining councils regulate wages, hours and disputes. Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council goes further — negotiating employment security itself, so that every skilled employee has the greatest possible opportunity to remain employed, and every member business has the support it needs to stay viable.
"To become South Africa's leading employment security organisation for the road freight industry — ensuring that every skilled employee has the greatest possible opportunity to remain employed."
These employers have already expressed their intent to join Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council. Each registration brings us closer to the 100-employer threshold required for formal registration. Add your business to this list — and show the industry you stand for something better.
This is what sets Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council apart from any existing council. When a business must restructure, its people don't have to become unemployed — they become available to the next employer who needs them.
A national database of road freight talent — drivers, forklift operators, mechanics, dispatch clerks, controllers, workshop staff, fleet managers and administrators — so employers can find skilled people the moment they need them.
Before a business retrenches, it notifies the council. We immediately search for member employers who need staff and transfer affected employees where possible — before retrenchment ever takes effect.
Every employee holds an electronic profile recording PDP status, driver's licence, medical certificates, dangerous goods and crane certification, cross-border experience, years of service, accident history and training completed — so employers can recruit with confidence.
When one member has a seasonal surplus and another a shortage, the council facilitates temporary transfers between employers — easing pressure on both sides without a single job being lost.
Employers constantly report that experienced drivers are becoming scarce. Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council's Training Academy keeps members' workforces skilled, safe and compliant — turning training into another reason to join.
Members gain access to specialist legal, HR and compliance capacity that most individual transport businesses could never justify keeping in-house.
Structured negotiations between employer organisations and trade unions, establishing minimum wages and conditions of employment that apply across the industry via binding Collective Agreements.
Assistance with disciplinary hearings, dismissals, retrenchments, labour inspections, employment equity, work permits, employment contracts and workplace policies.
Support with Employment Equity, Skills Development, UIF, the Compensation Fund, driver files, working hours, tachographs, road transport legislation and foreign worker compliance.
Mediation, workplace facilitation, early intervention and employee assistance to prevent disputes arising — backed by a dedicated Centre for Dispute Resolution handling conciliation, con-arb and arbitration, enforceable as Labour Court orders, at no additional cost to members.
Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council becomes the industry's information hub and its collective voice — data and representation no single company could build alone.
Anonymous, aggregated statistics on driver shortages, salaries, accident rates, turnover, vacancies, retrenchments and regional demand — intelligence no single employer could gather alone.
A united voice representing members before the Department of Employment and Labour, the Department of Transport, the Road Traffic Management Corporation, Parliament and industry regulators.
Beyond employment security itself, membership includes the practical fund administration and wellbeing support every road freight business already needs.
Management of the Provident Fund, annual, sick leave, and holiday bonus funds. Ensuring all contributions and entitlements are accurately tracked and paid in accordance with agreed terms.
Health and wellness services tailored to the road freight environment, including access to healthcare plans and wellness clinics at major truck stops across the country.
Personnel and staffing solutions alongside medical benefit options for member employees — coordinated for the council so members are not left to negotiate these individually.
A transparent and accessible exemptions process allowing employers to apply for relief from specific provisions where legitimate business circumstances require it.
Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council membership includes access to three exclusive services that go beyond the standard bargaining council offering — providing financial protection, independent dispute resolution and holistic wellbeing support that puts members first.
Every employer member receives a Labour Insure policy as part of their council membership package. Labour Insure provides financial cover against CCMA, Bargaining Council, and Private Arbitration awards — protecting your business even when a dismissal case does not go in your favour.
Members gain access to ARRU Arbitrations — an independent, online private arbitration environment operating within the Teams platform. ARRU provides a neutral, technology-driven dispute resolution environment entirely independent of the council and the insurer, ensuring true impartiality for all parties.
Members gain access to a fully integrated employee benefits offering — helping employers attract and retain skilled drivers through real financial security, healthcare access and wellbeing support, coordinated by one dedicated partner instead of a maze of providers and call centres.
A dedicated web portal and mobile app is planned for the next phase of development, giving every member direct control over their council relationship in one place.
Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council is built for the whole industry — not just the businesses that employ drivers, but the people who drive, and the organisations that support the sector around them.
Small, medium and large transport companies, fleet owners, courier companies, and mining, construction or municipal transport operators.
Drivers, workshop employees, office staff, supervisors and managers working within member businesses across the industry.
Training providers, recruitment agencies, legal advisers, insurance companies, vehicle manufacturers and technology companies supporting the sector.
A voluntary council answers to its members. Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council's governance is built around balanced representation and independent oversight.
Measurable targets guide the council's growth from founding registration through to national scale.
To register Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council, we must demonstrate to the Registrar of Labour Relations that a minimum of 100 road freight employers have expressed written intent to join. Your pre-registration is counted and — with your permission — published on this page so that other employers in the industry can see who is already on board.
Pre-registration is a declaration of intent — it does not create any legal or financial obligation at this stage.
Once the council is formally registered, you will be contacted to complete the formal membership application.
You may choose to have your business name and employee category published on this page — this helps build confidence and momentum within the industry.
You may withdraw your declaration of intent at any time before formal registration by contacting us in writing.
Thank you. Your pre-registration has been recorded. You will receive a confirmation email shortly. Once Ubuntu Logistics Employment Council reaches the required 100 registered employers and proceeds with formal registration, you will be contacted to complete the formal membership process.