This news aggregator site highlights South African labour news from a wide range of internet and print sources. Each posting has a synopsis of the source article, together with a link or reference to the original. Postings cover the range of labour related matters from industrial relations to generalist human resources.GroundUp reports that a casual worker at Premier‘s Mister Sweet Factory in Germiston is receiving treatment after his finger was cut off while on duty over a week ago.
The worker is among a group of casual workers who have been employed by the company amid a six-week strike by hundreds of its permanent staff members. The Simunye Workers Forum, representing the majority of the striking workers, says it is concerned that the company has continued to operate using casual workers. According to the Forum, these casual workers have not been properly trained and are expected to operate dangerous machines. “The casual workers are not qualified to meet the company’s high production levels, and the reports of injuries are proof enough. Premier should just swallow its pride and allow its qualified workers to go back to work and give them better wages,” said Jacob Potlaki, an organiser from the Simunye Workers Forum. He claimed some of the casual workers have been sleeping on bunk beds on the company premises to try and keep up with the high workload, breaching health and safety regulations. But, Premier spokesperson Sibhion O’Sullivan insisted that casual workers currently running production at the Mr Sweet Factory were qualified. According to the company, officials from the Department of Employment and Labour met with management at the factory on Wednesday and deemed Premier to be compliant with all health and safety requirements. According to O’Sullivan, 385 of a total of 602 employees are participating in the strike, and some workers have returned to work over the past few weeks. She said the company would continue to engage with the workers and their representatives to resolve the strike. The striking workers are asking for a minimum of R12,500 for the lowest-paid workers and R16,500 for workers in higher-level positions. The company has to date stuck to its initial 7% offer.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Kimberly Mutandiro at GroundUp
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