Trade union South African Cleaners Security and Allied Workers Union (SACSAAWU) has vowed to make sure that the government stops with immediate effect its practice of using labour brokers/contracted companies/tenders when seeking labour to fulfill its service delivery obligations.
This determined vow was made by SACSAAWU at a volatile march to deliver a memorandum of demands to President Cyril Ramaphosa at the Union Buildings on Tuesday.
“The Union Buildings is the eventual source of tenders for service providers, contracted companies and labour brokers because this whole corruption starts right here at the Union Buildings; that is why we have decided to march directly to the the Union Buildings to register our grievances to President Cyril Ramaphosa himself,” said SACSAAWU Secretary General Andries Potsane.
“If Ramaphosa was honest enough he would make sure that this labour brokers/ tender system/ service providers/ contracted companies system stops with immediate effect and as SACSAAWU we strongly believe that Ramaphosa is condoning this aforesaid corrupt system,” said Potsane.
He said Ramaphosa is not prepared to sort out the mess and havoc that has been brought about by the labour brokers whereby workers don’t get paid at all and in instances where they get paid they don’t get paid on time and contracted companies don’t comply with Labour Relations Act laws.
“We are saying President Ramaphosa please intervene on our behalf as workers regarding our plight because we foresee danger here; just imagine what will happen if security officers take drastic measures to make themselves heard by the powers that be; we are warning Ramaphosa himself to address the issue of security officers and cleaners who work under labour brokers so as to make sure that they get paid on time and must absorb them as permanent workers instead of subjecting them to the regime of the so-called service providers,” fumed Potsane.
“Our government gives tenders to individuals who pretend to be rendering services to the government by providing labour while in fact these labour brokers, most of whom are connected to the ANC and government officials are making huge profits by exploiting people working for them,” he said.
“We have marched to the Municipality’s headquarters Tshwane House several times over the years and we have always been told that this issue of labour brokers is a political matter which needs a political solution, so as Ramaphosa is the source of political power, he is the one we want to appeal to directly,” emphasised Potsane.
“We are giving President Ramaphosa 21 days to adhere to our demands, failing which all security officers will embark on an unprecedented shutdown countrywide,” warned Potsane.
“To the so-called service providers and labour brokers we are saying your time is over because we are going to remove you just like we removed the erstwhile apartheid regime,” he said.
It has emerged that cleaners and security guards sometimes go for three or four months without being paid their salaries.
“Late or non-payment of our salaries by labour brokers affects us and our families badly and our children have lost respect for us as parents because we can’t support them financially,” said John Nkuna who works for Succoll security company in Bronkhorstspruit.
“Some of these labour broker companies don’t even have offices and we don’t even know who the managers or company directors are and we also don’t have their contacts, thus making it impossible for us to speak to them when we have complaints,” he said.
Nkuna said when the late payments are eventually made, in many instances they come in drips-and-drabs as a lot of money that is due to them remains outstanding up to this day.
He pointed out that all labour brokers in Tshwane don’t comply with Labour Relations Act regulations.
“My colleagues and I have not gone on leave for three years now as we are told that we don’t qualify for leave and we don’t have Provident Fund and UIF, and for example we were supposed to be paid on the 15th of August yet we haven’t been paid until now,” lamented Nkuna as he in the process revealed that people working under service providers/ labour brokers are really struggling to make ends meet.
Gladys Mlambo who works as a security officer said non-payments and late payment of their salaries forces them to always go to loan sharks (mashonisa) to ask for money which they have to later repay at a huge interest and that they can’t provide many things for their families and right now her child has been taken off the scholar transport because she can’t manage to pay for her in this regard.
“I am not fighting for myself now as my retirement age is near, I am fighting for you the younger generation because I love you and I don’t want to see this exploitation by labour brokers persisting among you in the future,” said one of the workers at the march.
Another worker complained that labour brokers are subjecting them to unfair taxation by SARS because he and his fellow workers only earn R7000 a month yet they constantly receive messages from SARS informing them that from the said R7000 they owe R2000 tax.
He also complained about leave days and non-payment of bonuses.
Shonisani Mudau from the office of President Ramaphosa received and signed the aggrieved workers’ memorandum and promised to respond within the stipulated 21 days.
Copy of Memorandum:
