Press Release: Workers at Moses Mabhida World Cup Stadium to March to eThekweni (Durban) City Hall
The Campaign for Decent Work Towards and Beyond 2010 is taking off around the country. The Strike at Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban (eThekweni) is in its 5th working day having started their legal strike for decent work on 7 November 2007. Approximately 1200 workers are on strike and construction work is at complete standstill.
Workers will start their march from Aliwal street at 10am on 14 November and march to the eThekweni City Hall to hand over a memorandum to the municipality who is ultimately responsible for progress at the stadium. The National Union of Mineworkers have filed for a secondary strike which would see all the 2010 construction sites around the country come to complete standstill.
Workers Demands:
* R1500 per month, monthly project bonus. The companies - WBHO, Group 5 and Pan African Development have offered a one day bonus per month. For low paid workers who earn R11 per hour, this would mean a laughable R100 bonus per month or R1200 for the year. The main contractors, Group 5 and WBHO made 73% and 54% respectively in pre-tax profit for 2006.
* No Downward variation - it was discovered that some of the subcontractors were employing workers at a rate of R5, R6 and R7 per hour and this is lower than the wage rates civil engineering determination. Workers are being paid in cash and the National Union of Mine Workers (NUM) has seen that the wage rates and more alarming that there are no deductions for the Unemployment Insurance fund (UIF). Management has denied this allegation.
* Election of worker Health & Safety Representatives - During a spot check at the stadium by the Department of Labour a few months ago it had to shut down the construction site due to the fact that the scaffolding was not safe and that workers were not issued with gloves and boots. Workers are not happy with the current H&S reps as they are not sensitive to worker needs and cannot communicate in the dominant local language (Zulu) and can converse only in English. The workers are demanding that their elected reps be paid fulltime for the task as workers will work under pressure and there are therefore, higher risks. Management has refused to meet this demand.
For further information contact:
Bonginkosi Mncwabe – NUM Regional Coordinator KZN – 082-8089350
Enock Mthethwa - COSATU Provincial Chairperson - 0828837300
Issued by
Eddie Cottle
Coordinator
Campaign for Decent Work Towards 2010 & Beyond
Workers will start their march from Aliwal street at 10am on 14 November and march to the eThekweni City Hall to hand over a memorandum to the municipality who is ultimately responsible for progress at the stadium. The National Union of Mineworkers have filed for a secondary strike which would see all the 2010 construction sites around the country come to complete standstill.
Workers Demands:
* R1500 per month, monthly project bonus. The companies - WBHO, Group 5 and Pan African Development have offered a one day bonus per month. For low paid workers who earn R11 per hour, this would mean a laughable R100 bonus per month or R1200 for the year. The main contractors, Group 5 and WBHO made 73% and 54% respectively in pre-tax profit for 2006.
* No Downward variation - it was discovered that some of the subcontractors were employing workers at a rate of R5, R6 and R7 per hour and this is lower than the wage rates civil engineering determination. Workers are being paid in cash and the National Union of Mine Workers (NUM) has seen that the wage rates and more alarming that there are no deductions for the Unemployment Insurance fund (UIF). Management has denied this allegation.
* Election of worker Health & Safety Representatives - During a spot check at the stadium by the Department of Labour a few months ago it had to shut down the construction site due to the fact that the scaffolding was not safe and that workers were not issued with gloves and boots. Workers are not happy with the current H&S reps as they are not sensitive to worker needs and cannot communicate in the dominant local language (Zulu) and can converse only in English. The workers are demanding that their elected reps be paid fulltime for the task as workers will work under pressure and there are therefore, higher risks. Management has refused to meet this demand.
For further information contact:
Bonginkosi Mncwabe – NUM Regional Coordinator KZN – 082-8089350
Enock Mthethwa - COSATU Provincial Chairperson - 0828837300
Issued by
Eddie Cottle
Coordinator
Campaign for Decent Work Towards 2010 & Beyond
Labels: Activism
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