The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) will be embarking on a picket outside Fortune Steel offices in Nigel on Thursday. The purpose of the picket is to pressurize this company into complying with Health and Safety Laws as well as Labour Laws in South Africa.
Seven people were injured at the weekend when a furnace exploded at Fortune Steels premises on Saturday night. We believe that the management’s refusal to comply with domestic labour laws and health and safety laws may have been the cause of the accident.
Fortune Steels is notorious for abusing workers in the following ways:
- Since it began operating in February last year NUMSA has recorded at least 70 cases of unlawful dismissal. At least 19 of those were fired because they sustained injuries on the job and they were never compensated.
- The firm refuses to provide all employees with personal protective clothing thus risking the lives of workers.
- It has a high rate of injuries because the firm does not comply with basic health and safety standards
- Workers often work 7 days and are robbed of their full wages at the end of the week.
- It does not issue payslips to workers, and there is no evidence that statutory deductions like UIF, Provident Fund and others are being paid.
Details of the picket are as follows:
DATE: Thursday 19 April, 2018
TIME: 07:30 AM – 10 AM
ADDRESS: 107 Johnson Road, Pretoriusstad Nigel
For more information contact:
Siyabonga Mbuqe
NUMSA Nigel Local co-ordinator
0616279598
Phakamile Hlubi-Majola
NUMSA National Spokesperson (Acting)
0833767725