ANCF youth members protest at Vopak over high unemployment rate
Vopak has shown no interest at all to employ projects such as skills development programmes or learnership programmes.
HEIDELBERG – Tension has once again reached a boiling point at Vopak, the petroleum terminal which is situated on the Poortjie Road next to Jameson Park.
Members of the ANC Youth League, duly represented by spokesperson Billy Makhanya, protested outside the facility on January 31 to voice their concern over the high unemployment rate among the youth in the greater Lesedi.
Vopak is the world’s largest independent tank storage service provider, specialising in the storage and handling of bulk liquid chemicals and operates 80 terminals with a storage capacity of 25,6 million cubic meters in 31 countries – including the facility in Jameson Park.
Protestors gathered at the entrance gate of the facility where they obstructed the road to prevent any vehicles from entering or leaving. A high police presence also suggested a volatile state, despite the apparent appearance of peacefulness among the protestors.
“We are advocating a complete shutdown of the facility until the youth from Lesedi is employed. We are aware of the fact that mostly foreigners are employed by Vopak. This influx of foreigners has to stop. People from the local communities are starving while these large, foreign owned companies set up tent on our doorsteps to enrich themselves. We have recently handed over a memorandum of grievances to the public relations officer of Vopak and we now expect our demands to be met,” Makhanya said.
He added that Vopak has shown no interest at all to employ projects such as skills development programmes or learnership programmes.
While some protestors nodded in agreement, others further engaged in conversation and told HERAUT that the labour outsourcing company responsible for hiring people is bias, in that they only hire workers from outside the Lesedi area.
“When they do hire a local worker, he or she is only given a three month contract,” one of the protestors said.
HERAUT has meanwhile learned that negotiations between the relevant parties are currently on the table, but whether the demands as set out in the memorandum of grievances will be fully met by Vopak, remains to be seen.
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