Denial of unfair labour practices
Rumours of unfair hiring of employees at the construction site of the Nelspruit High Court were denied by those in management.
NELSPRUIT – Rumours of unfair hiring of employees at the construction site of the Nelspruit High Court were denied by those in management.
Some of the job seekers, who come to the site’s gate daily in the hope of being employed, alleged to this newspaper that mostly foreign nationals with no IDs had been hired.
“They don’t have South African documents or work permits and they say they come from neighbouring countries like Mozambique and Zimbabwe.
Some of the hopeful employees said they had anticipated that the project would create much-needed jobs for the people of the province, but instead it had allegedly benefited only a few.
One said, “I don’t mind what job I do, I’d even push wheelbarrows around, as long I was employed and in a position to put food on the table for my children.”
They also alleged that some people were not queuing outside the project’s gate, but were called from their homes and hired. They even suspect that they bribed the managers.
They further alleged that workers employed on site were not provided with safety gear, “We want the Department of Labour to inspect the site. Why is the project not treated in the same way as the building of Mbombela Stadium, because it’s also a national project?” they asked.
They also alleged that a manager recently assaulted a security guard on the site.
A labour-broker representative known as Mr Jece, denied the allegations that they hired people from other countries who didn’t have IDs. When asked how employees were hired, he said those employed by the labour brokers had applied for work and were called for interviews.
On the allegations of assault he said,
“I was not here on the said day so I don’t know what happened, but I’ve also heard the rumours.”
The community liaison officer, Mr Happy Mnguni, denied the allegations, adding, “It is common for people to accuse others of taking bribes if they are not satisfied with a particular issue.”
He added that employees were provided with personal safety wear when they were hired.
He estimates the number of employees to be about 320 and the project is expected to provide jobs for an estimated 700 in the construction phase. He urged aspirant employees to hand in their CVs at the site.
