Customer and trolley assistants face losing their income with Nogada Customer and Trolley Service Company planning to terminate their services indefinitely at Norwood Mall.
Norwood Mall’s customer and trolley assistants have been issued a notice that as from 28 February, their services will be terminated indefinitely.
This according to a notice issued to them on 1 February by Nogada Customer and Trolley Services Company.
The company claimed that the assistants refused to increase their standing fees, to take instructions, do not report incidents and further accuse them of poor behaviour towards the patrons at the mall.
However, some patrons have disputed the claims saying they are ridiculous.
“We have no problem with their services as they’re very helpful and polite,” said a patron, Olga-May Musnitzky.
“This is entirely illegal and corrupt. [The company] has no right to do that because they’re not employed by this person [who runs the company].”
When contacted on 9 February, Riaan De Lange, author of the notice, did not wish to comment.
“This is a company’s matter. We cannot divulge our information to you,” De Lange said.
Customers can expect to experience challenges with their heavy groceries and parking at the Norwood Mall following a notice of terminating services of the customer and trolley assistants at the mall.
Tribunevisited the mall on the day and an assistant, who did not wish to be named fearing he might be targeted, said the assistants would not take this lying low.
“This company found us here after the previous service provider, Hands on Cars Security, abandoned their services at the mall. We don’t agree with the notice, and for that reason, we will wait until they summon us to the office and explain what it really means,” he said.
Assistants pay R24 and others R15 a day to Nogada to work at the mall and they earn their salary from the tips they get from customers.
“We don’t earn any salary from Nogada, instead we’re the ones who pay the company to work here because [the company] claims that it’s their site. We don’t even know why we are paying them,” he said.
Norwood Mall management confirmed receiving the notice and that Nogada does not pay monies to them for the services the assistants render at the mall.
A manager, who did not wish to reveal his name due to protocol, said that even though they appreciate the work that these assistants do, however, they cannot get involved yet.
The manager said they will wait until Nogada explains the situation to them.
He said, “Subject to the meeting we will have with Nogada on 12 February, we will be able to give detailed information moving forward with the services in the mall.”
The assistants said they do not mind working under the instructions of the mall if Nogada decides to let them go.
