Over 200 temporary workers from Ekurhuleni’s Department of Solid Waste took to the metro’s head offices, last Tuesday, demanding to see the MMC for Corporate and Shared Services, Clr Khosi Mabaso.
This follows the MMC’s failed efforts to furnish the workers and their union, Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (Demawusa), with an official meeting date last Monday.
The workers, who were employed on a temporary contract, were allegedly promised permanency by the metro and said they were now being ignored.
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After numerous attempts to resolve the issue of absorption, the marchers stated they needed to get Mabaso’s attention to finally put this issue to rest as upsetting rumours had surfaced of the metro releasing job vacancies of the positions promised to them.
“Why have we not been absorbed?” said one of the workers,
“How can Clr Ndosi Shongwe and Mabaso allow for vacancies to be advertised while we are still unemployed and not made permanent?
“Those are our positions.”
According to the marchers, countless memorandums have been sent to the metro, and they have spent hours in the streets of Germiston marching to the metro’s headquarters and have been unsuccessful in settling this matter.
Some protestors have even detailed a number of police brutality claims but maintain that the bigger issue that needs the mayor’s attention is the alleged ongoing corruption in his cabinet which allows for such matters to remain unresolved.
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“A few months ago, the mayor organised transport for us to travel to Magaliesburg.
“Upon arrival we tabled our issues and to our surprise the councillors present could not even look us in the eye as we demanded permanency.
“We worked for three months and the contract was then extended to four months in February.
“We have been unemployed since June.
“Shongwe said the metro needed way more than 567 workers in the department of waste and once the recruitment process would start, the human resources department would first recruit us then avail the remaining posts to the public,” said Sandile Mabaso, one of the workers.
The GCN contacted the metro for comment but none was forthcoming at the time of going to press.
