Irate workers at Alstom South Africa, a global giant in equipment and motor transmission services, has downed tools to demand management to withdraw the cancellation of fundamental agreements on grading and other conditions of employment.
Just about the entire workforce went on a legal strike since last week after the newly- reshaped management board reneged on reduction of the grading structure to six- job level categories.
And the annulment of the core employment agreements is expected to impact on other most important code of understanding in relation to compassionate/paternity, sick leave and reduction of working hours, other-related training issues and bank wage payments.
Production has grounded to a virtual halt as 123 workers out of a complement of 133 workforce refused to work because of management intransigent attitude. Power utility Eskom which remained a significant customer together with other major power plant contractors and some US- based companies were to be severely affected by the strike.
Numsa Ekurhuleni regional chairperson Joshua Manana warned that the narrow-minded and careless approach adopted by management against its employees would certainly result in eroding all the workers’ benefits and the new black empowerment board will exclusively bear the brunt for turning the clock backwards of the labour transformation processes.
The union is not prepared to go into arbitration with the company provided that management delegation showed maturity and stopped intimidating other contract workers for pledging solidarity with striking workers.
Employers’ uncompromising attitude to resolving the strike obliterate out-and-out the company’s historic commitments to major developmental resources in respect of local skills, particularly in the engineering in support of the black empowerment objectives.
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For further information contact:
Mziwakhe Hlangani, Numsa national spokesperson
Cell phone: 082 9407116
Source
Numsa News