EFF protest stopped
LABOUR DISPUTE: COURT INTERDICTS MARCH AGAINST CITY OF TSHWANE
Contract workers vow to fight council to be reinstated into their jobs.
Aplanned protest by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) for former City of Tshwane contract workers – known as capacity workers – was stopped in its tracks when the city obtained a court order to stop them from marching to Tshwane House.
Yesterday, a heavy police presence greeted the former capacity workers and EFF members gathering in Princess Park to march to the Tshwane House.
Earlier this month, the capacity workers won their case against the city at the Bargaining Council, which ordered the city to reinstate them and reimbursed them 11 months back pay.
The city rejected the outcome and applied to appeal.
The protesters put down their posters and slowly started going their separate ways after learning about the interdict.
The leader of the capacity workers, Cedric Cele, said he had nothing to say to City of Tshwane.
“There was a ruling and they were obliged to comply with it,” he said.
He said if they were adamant the contract expired, they were supposed to defend it at the Bargaining Council.
“They were there and they failed to explain themselves.”
Cele said there was nothing left for them but to stage a sit-in at Tshwane House.
“If they fail to respond, we will stay at Tshwane House and they can do nothing about it,” he said.
Cele said if the city could go around collecting debt from those who owe the municipality, so can they.
“What stops us from going to the municipality to ask them to pay us? We are not asking a favour, we are asking them what we deserve,” he said.
A former capacity worker, who agreed to speak anonymously, described the past 16 months as hell. “We feel dehumanised.”
The worker said according to the system, he was still registered as a worker of the city.
He said it felt like they were in jail because they were not getting anywhere.
“Appealing the Bargaining Council’s ruling was like the city saying they were above the law,” he said.
“How arrogant. Where we stay, there are shops with rats who eat the bread. Then they take that bread with the holes and give it to us. We are no longer humans. We take the bread eaten by the rats because we need to feed our children. We can’t throw that away.”
Another worker, Tsumbedzo Rawele, said his family was also suffering due to the delay in returning to work.
“I have a wife and two children. I must pay rent and support my children. Now we have to send the children back home to their grandmother because we can’t afford crèche and school fees. We also don’t have food,” he said.
Rawele said when he got a job in January, his application was not successful because he was apparently still employed by the city.
“It’s so strange, City of Tshwane says our contracts expired, but we didn’t get [unemployment insurance fund] payouts or anything to show our contracts ended. It’s strange how they operate,” he said.
Rawele said they hope to start working soon.
“Experience has taught us the city is run by heartless people,” he said.
City of Tshwane yesterday declined to comment.
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