There is no single national bargaining council in South Africa. Councils are registered per industry, and several carry the word National in their names, which is where the confusion comes from.
ContactDetails.co.za is an independent directory. We are not any of the companies listed here and cannot act on your behalf. Everything on this page is a routing aid so you reach the right official channel with the right information in hand.
Who actually handles this
The council registered for your employer’s industry. A name beginning with National refers to that council operating nationally within its own sector, not to a council covering all sectors. Your payslip and employment contract show which council’s levies you pay.
What to do, in order
- Identify the industry your employer operates in. That, and not your location, decides the council.
- Check your payslip for council or industry fund deductions, which name the body.
- Approach that council for wage, leave and main agreement matters, and for disputes it covers.
- Use the CCMA where no council covers your industry.
- Take a retirement fund complaint to the fund and then the Adjudicator, not to the council.
What to have ready before you make contact
- Your employer’s name and industry.
- A payslip showing council or fund deductions.
- Your employment contract.
- The dates and details of the matter.
Verified council and fund routes
Every route in this table was taken from the organisation’s own official contact page and checked on 21 August 2026. Contact details change, so confirm on the official site before relying on one for anything urgent.
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| GEPF toll free call centre | 0800 117 669 |
| GEPF general email | [email protected] |
| Private Security Sector Provident Fund | 010 600 1750 |
| Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council | 011 639 8000 |
Complaints about an industry retirement fund
| What it is for | Contact |
|---|---|
| Pension Funds Adjudicator, toll free | 080 074 4444 |
| Pension Funds Adjudicator switchboard | 012 748 4000 |
| Pension Funds Adjudicator, alternate | 012 346 1738 |
| Pension Funds Adjudicator enquiries email | [email protected] |
Fund, administrator, employer: who holds what
- The fund holds your money. It is a separate legal entity registered under the Pension Funds Act and run by a board of trustees, and it survives the employer closing, being sold or being renamed.
- The administrator runs the fund’s day-to-day work under contract: member records, claims and the call centre. GEPF is administered by the GPAA; many private funds are administered by Alexforbes, Sanlam or Momentum. One administrator services many funds, which is why it needs the fund’s name to find you, not just your ID number.
- Your employer pays contributions over and certifies your exit. This is where most delayed claims actually sit, and it is the cheapest thing to check first.
- The trustees make the decisions the law reserves for them, including how a death benefit is distributed. Neither the administrator nor the employer makes that call.
- The Pension Funds Adjudicator resolves complaints against funds free of charge, and its determinations bind the fund. The FSCA regulates funds and runs a free public search for unclaimed benefits.
Your benefit statement names both the fund and the administrator, and carries your member number. Those three pieces of information answer most of what follows, and without the fund’s name an administrator often cannot locate you at all.
Common mistakes that cost time
- Searching for one national council that covers every industry. It does not exist.
- Assuming National in a council’s name means it covers all sectors.
- Confusing the council with the industry fund it is associated with.
- Letting a dispute deadline pass while looking for the right body.
If it is not resolved
The Office of the Pension Funds Adjudicator resolves complaints against retirement funds, free of charge to the complainant, and its determinations are legally binding on the fund. It will not take a complaint that has not been put to the fund first, so lodge with the fund, keep the reference number, and give it a reasonable opportunity to respond before approaching the Adjudicator.
Escalation works on evidence. Keep a short written log of every contact: the date, the channel you used, the name of the person you spoke to and the reference number you were given. Every formal complaints process asks for exactly that history, and having it ready is usually the difference between a fast resolution and starting over.
Related contact pages
Frequently asked questions
Which bargaining council covers me?
The one registered for your employer’s industry. Your payslip usually names it through the levies deducted.
Why do several councils say National?
Because they operate nationally within their own sector. It does not mean they cover other industries.
Where do I go if no council applies?
The CCMA handles disputes where no bargaining council covers the industry.
The contact routes on this page were checked against each organisation’s official source on 21 August 2026. Where a detail has changed, the official source is always the authority.