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TimesLIVE Premium writes that a war is brewing over the Road Traffic Infringement Agency’s (RTIA’s) headquarters in Midrand, which has been standing empty for a month.
Management has ordered staff to return to the office on Monday, but the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) has demanded the instruction be retracted as it believes the building is unsafe. The building – located in the New Road Office Park – is leased by the RTIA, which spent millions on the move in July last year. Spokesperson Emmanuel Tshehla confirmed the agency had leased the building for five years at a cost of R52m. But six months into the lease, staff were instructed to work from home from 1 February. Tshehla said inspectors from the City of Joburg and the Department of Employment and Labour had issued the RTIA with contravention notices after finding that partitioning – erected by the agency in the open plan space – had been done without proper permission and authorisation. Coincidentally in the early hours of 31 January, there was a break-in at the offices and a security guard was stabbed. Tshehla said RTIA management decided to close the building for the purposes of the investigation and for the repair of damage caused during the robbery. Steps were apparently taken to improve security. Now Numsa members have called on the agency’s CEO, Matsemela Moloi, to withdraw the return-to-work instruction. Numsa’s Enock Manyoni said workers would not be returning to the office “until you have shared with us the findings of the inspection, certificate of occupancy issued by the [city] and all other related certificates of compliance regarding the safety of the building”. “Forcing employees to work in an office space which has been declared unsafe for use or closed by a regulatory body is a criminal offence and in violation of the OHS Act,” Manyoni indicated.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Gill Gifford at TimesLIVE Premium (subscriber access only)
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