IT looks like the Hibiscus Coast Municipality employees will have to go back to using the manual register when clocking in and out of work.
Rumour has it that the South African Municipal Workers’ Union, which was against the implementation of municipality’s biometric system from the beginning, won its court case.
A reliable source has informed the Herald that the labour court has ruled against the biometric system, which was implemented by the municipality to improve productivity. This means municipal employees will no longer have to clock in out of work.
However, the municipality has a different view. “The workers’ union did not win the case,” said HCM’s spokesman Simon Soboyisa.
“The court ruled that the consultation process between the municipality and workers should start afresh,” he explained.
“The municipality will to go back to the drawing board and consult with the unions, and we are very confident that the biometric system will be implemented, because it is the only way that the municipality can improve employee productivity,” he said.
“The municipality is confident that, after consultation process, the system will be implemented, and worker productivity will improve,” he concluded.
The system, which has cost the municipality close to a R1-million, was meant to be implemented in August 2010 to replace the manual attendance register but because of a dispute between HCM management and SAMWU, the process was delayed.
Gauteng health department saved R2.3million in salaries in one month by using the biometric system to verify if the staff is really working at the hospital or are they gost staff, may be the HCM personal are objecting due to Gost workers or double payments?
We as rate payers should insist that they start using this biometric system, it not for fun that the personal object so fiercly against this system. It is working very well in other goverment departments to prevent fraud and corruption!