The workers belonging to the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) embarked on the strike action against the company’s payment and employment structure.

They are accusing the employer of unilaterally changing the structure. There are concerns that the new plan will have a negative impact on workers’ salaries and benefits.

The SABS works with various laboratories across the country, to amongst others, test various items to promote and maintain standards and certification.

Those responsible for these duties have embarked on an indefinite strike action after efforts to negotiate with the employer at the bargaining forum failed. “They did this organizational redesign and engineered an outcome where all executives who were on the contract became permanent, essentially making sure that their performance is not assessed like all other executives at other entities.

“We are saying they need to reverse that, secondly they placed workers on a structure that was not consulted, over 200 workers were placed on positions there was no consultation at all and in fact many of them are placed in positions when you look at it they’ve been demoted,” explains NEHAWU Tshwane Regional Secretary, Zolani Masoleng.

NEHAWU says the SABS has faced a plethora of challenges and was placed under administration in 2018. It says management has taken a decision outside of the collective bargaining process in violation of the Labour Relations Act.

The union is seeking to approach the new minister of Trade, Industry and Competition in the hopes of resolving the current impasse. “SABS, through the interventions of the then-Minister Patel, had to go through what is called a restructuring process which we understand that any organisation has to do this to meet its goals.

“It cannot be that the employer appoints a service provider to look at the restructuring and once a report has been tabled, the very same employer who spent money appointing the service provider refuse to implement the approved pay scales,” argues NEHAWU Tshwane Regional Chairperson Ivan Ramogale.

The workers say they are worried about issues of job security. Many are hopeful that the employer will soon return to the negotiations.

“Since section 189, there’s been a lot of unfair treatment towards employees, the company morale is very down at this stage and it seems like management doesn’t really care,” a worker laments.

“We are fed up and the employer is taking advantage of us, restructuring is haywire, the monies that they promised us are not here, harmonization dealing with us,” another worker adds.

“It seems like management feels that they’ve done interns a favour by absorbing them, they expect a level of performance but when it comes to remuneration it becomes a different conversation,” a worker elaborates.

The employer has reached out for a virtual meeting with the union leadership, but the gesture was rejected by NEHAWU, with demands for a physical meeting.

The SABS workers are vowing to continue with their demonstrations until management reverses changes to the payment structure.

The union’s leadership is expected to meet physically with the employer on Wednesday with hopes being that of a bridge to the deadlock.

--SABC--