Group Five have dug in their heels and refused to re-employ workers dismissed from the Avon peaking power plant on August 27.
“Given that on a previous occasion on this project when, as a special concession, re-employment was agreed to, the dismissed employees did not abide by their own undertakings, acted unlawfully and resorted to violence and arson, Group Five cannot reinstate the dismissed employees,” said Group Five in their official response to a memorandum presented to them on October 8.
Group Five said they were still willing and able to work with KDM mayor, Ricardo Mthembu and the respective ward councillors to employ people from the local community,) but will have no option but to hire workers from further afield, should this not be possible.
Group Five management requested that the dismissed workers and community members act within the law and stop any further attempts to interfere with the project.
However Mthembu was very clear about his disdain for Group Five’s handling of the dispute.
He said Group Five did not want to resolve issues raised by dismissed workers, like the promised transfer of skills that they claim has not taken place.
“We are with our people,” said Mthembu, reaffirming his support for the dismissed workers in no uncertain terms.
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) shop steward, Siyabonga Sokutu said they had rejected a proposal put forward by Group Five following a meeting on Friday in Umhlanga between Group Five management and KDM councillors. Sokutu said they were offered full pay for the remainder of the contract (October 2015 to January 2016) but rejected it because they were not engaged and because the full salaries offered was less than what they would earn if they got paid for 22 shifts per month.
“Maybe we would have accepted the proposal if we were there to negotiate and add something here and there,” said Sokutu.
Captain Yogendran Maharaj of the Umhlali SAPS said the plant was reopened on Monday morning and only workers named on the approved list were allowed in. He said some of the dismissed workers also arrived because they did not have cell phone signal where they live and so had not received the message that they had not been reinstated.
Although the march to hand over the memorandum on October 8 was peaceful, it took a considerable amount of convincing by AMCU shop stewards and the police to sway the mob from forcing their way to the site gates.
With the handing over of the memorandum, Sokutu hinted at further protests if their demands were not met, saying what has happened at the plant so far was “nothing” but said on Monday they would now wait for the outcome of the CCMA hearing on October 26 before any further action is taken.
