Parking services came to a complete standstill in Grahamstown on Wednesday between 09.30 and 12am.
Parking services came to a complete standstill in Grahamstown on Wednesday between 09.30 and 12am.
The parking marshalls from Advanced Parking Solutions(APS) went on strike, saying that management dismissed three of their colleagues unfairly.
The workers were dismissed after management found evidence of dishonesty and fraud. Conversely the workers say they have been harassed by the owner since they joined the South Africa Commercial, Catering and Allied Workers Union (SACCAWU).
"We are embarking on a strike because three of our members have been dismissed unfairly, one of the three people had reported that she’ll be at the doctor’s and when she returned she got a letter of dismissal," said Landiswa Tyelbooi, one of the parking marshalls who represents his colleagues and negotiates with SACCAWU. The strike was illegal but they said their union gave the go ahead. Thabo Dlabantu, the APS supervisor said, "We gave the marshalls notices for disciplinary hearings that were to happen on 21 September but they made excuses saying they couldn’t make it." He said the hearing was postponed to 29 September and that the marshalls were told that if they failed to attend and could not give the chairperson a valid reason why they had not attended, a decision would be made even in absentia. Nosiphiwo Bacela said, "I reported to Thabo that I would be in hospital for the day, and could not make it to the hearing. He allowed me to go. When I arrived this morning to sign the roster, I was told not to sign and was issued with a letter of dismissal." She says Julius Paul, who is the APS manager, said she mustn’t appeal because "they are not interested".
Mlulami Nqweniso was also summoned for a disciplinary hearing. He attended the hearing but could not defend himself because no union representatives were present so the hearing could not continue. Nqweniso said that an argument erupted between the disciplinary commitee and the interpreter Pepsi Twaku. "I asked him why would he be part of the argument when he is only an interpreter? He then beat me up, slapping me and kicking me in the face." Nqweniso laid charges against Twaku and his hearing has been postponed until a representative from the union is available. The third staff member did not want to comment on the situation.
Tyelbooi said they are not going to do any work until their colleagues are reinstated. On the other hand Dlabantu said the company cannot do so when a person has been found guilty of gross dishonesty and fraud.
"If we reinstate them, what are the ethics of the company?" he asked. "If they are not happy with the decision, they should appeal and prove beyond reasonable doubt that they are not guilty of the crime," he added. The issue of wages was also raised, "When the posts were advertised, we were promised R2 500 as our basic salary, now we only get R450," said Tyelbooi. Their commission is maent to be 27.5% of the daily turnover and they feel it has not increased even though the tariffs have increased from R1.00 to R1.15.
Dlabantu said, "The advertisement said one could earn +- R2 500 per month which is the basic salary and commission included. One can’t sit around and do nothing while expecting to get R2 500." Dlabantu said he is being intimidated by staff members and the union by going to his office and pointing fingers. "If they want to be heard, they must follow a proper grievance procedure so they can go on strike, and not just up and leave," he concluded.
