A new community hall being built in Extension 9, due to be completed by September, has hit another delay. Building came to a temporary halt due to workers protesting against unfair wages on Wednesday.
A new community hall being built in Extension 9, due to be completed by September, has hit another delay. Building came to a temporary halt due to workers protesting against unfair wages on Wednesday.
The crowd of defiant workers stood outside the partially completed hall, refusing to work until their complaints were listen to.
This followed after a meeting was called by the technical team and a committee of workers from ward 5. The previous day, the technical team consisting of ward 5 councillor Luyanda Nase, Makana Municipality and Strydom & Kroqwana contractors, held a meeting to discuss the discipline and safety of the workers. However, this was not what the workers had requested be discussed. According to Thami Bhelwana, who is representing the workers, the meeting was supposed to involve the workers’ demand for a wage increase. Bhelwana said that the manager of Rhini developers, Sipho Dyibishe wrote down their grievances about low wages and promised that he will raise these issues at the meeting on Tuesday. Before long it became cleaer that he had not done so.
Before construction started, workers were divided into skilled and unskilled labourers which affected how much they were to be paid. According to Fezile Ngxakaza, a worker at the site, the skilled workers were told they would earn between R150 and R160 per day, while the unskilled labourers earn R80 per day, to be paid out each week. But the workers soon realised that to make ends meet they will need to be paid R180 per day (for skilled labourers) and unskilled labourers should earn R120 per day. Ngxakaza says that so far management has failed to meet their demands, instead they offer R160 for skilled workers and R90 for unskilled. The workers’ final offer was R170 (skilled workers) and R100 (unskilled). “The protest will carry on until they satisfy our demands,” Bhelwana said.
When contacted last week, both Nase and Strydom & Kroqwana construction company refused to comment on the meetings, as well as the protest. Makana municipality spokesperson, Thandy Matebese said that the municipality is aware that the workers are in demand of a wage increase and that they are concerned about the delays the protest will cause.
"It is not our intention to strike and for the hall not to be finished. We want peace between the workers and the employers, " Ngxakaza said in defence of their actions.
Yesterday morning the workers called a meeting with management to discuss the matter. According to Bhelwana, management has agreed to meet the demands of the workers. The skilled workers will now earn R170 per day and unskilled workers will earn R100 per day. Construction resumes today.
