EWN reports that the devastating fire at Parliament’s buildings in Cape Town has now become a labour issue, with scores of National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) members having staged a protest over their safety and working conditions.

The group of employees gathered on Monday outside the gates of Parliament. While Parliament’s protection services and catering staff have been ordered back to work, Nehawu members want written guarantees of their safety. On Friday, Parliament's management assured MPs that it was implementing an action plan to ensure the precinct was compliant with safety regulations. However, Parliament's Nehawu branch secretary, Temba Gubula, said their members would not be reporting for duty until the union had received a written safety guarantee. "We came here today to show the employer that we are not lazy to work, we are here to work, but the employer has an obligation to come and assure workers that it is safe for them to come back inside and none of that has happened," Gubula indicated.

• Read the original of the report in the above regard by Babalo Ndenze at EWN

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