Construction workers at Makana Resort have threatened to go on strike if their wage-increase demands are not considered by management, a man they identify as Mr Poswa. The workers are under contract to ICPM, an East London-based construction company.
Contracted to receive R900 a fortnight, the workers are demanding an increase to R1 200.
Construction workers at Makana Resort have threatened to go on strike if their wage-increase demands are not considered by management, a man they identify as Mr Poswa. The workers are under contract to ICPM, an East London-based construction company.
Contracted to receive R900 a fortnight, the workers are demanding an increase to R1 200.
The contract is an 18-month agreement to repair and do construction work at Makana Resort. The buildings were damaged in the floods earlier this year.
Workers contacted Lena May, councillor of Ward 4 and Bryan Jackson, councillor of Ward 8, the ward under which the construction is taking place, to help them air their grievances.
They said they had contacted Poswa a month ago to arrange a meeting to discuss their demands and that he had not responded.
Neither party attended a meeting scheduled for 10am on Tuesday. Group leaders Sisanda Sinqe, Xoliswa Madasi, Mluleki Ntantiso and Mbongesi Ntantiso had been scheduled to meet with municipal spokesman Mncedisi Boma. None of the parties attended.
"He is running from us," Ntantiso said of Poswa.
At the time of writing the workers were threatening to strike should Boma and Poswa continue to ignore their demands to meet.
"We are tired of working, we are going to make a strike," said Sinqe, the leader of the group.
They also said they were working with machines which they had not been sufficiently trained to use.
"We don't know these machines," said Sinqe.
The group are furious that Poswa has not met them to discuss or consider their demands.
Another concern of the workers is that 20 of their number have been told they must work for the municipality during the National Arts Festival; however, they hadn't been told who would be paying them, or what they would be doing.
The workers say they work eight hours a day – 7.30am to 4.30pm – on construction at Makana Resort.
They complain that their supervisor seldom arrives at work before 1pm.
"She just does what the management tells her to do. She is supposed to be here with us now," Sinqe told Grocott's Mail on Tuesday.
The workers have indicated that they are equally displeased with the site manager.
One of the workers, Stefaans Pieterse, said he had not been receiving the full R900 a fortnight due to him.
Documentation seen by Grocott's Mail appears to indicate that his last payment, on 28 June, was R801.90.
The workers believe that according to the contract, their workforce is supposed to number 77; however, they currently number only 62.
The contract is worth R11 million, according to Ward 4 Councillor Lena May.
"People need to stand up for their rights," May said.
