Public Works employees down brooms

[caption id="attachment_35162" align="alignright" width="405"] WE WANT ANSWERS: Extended public works employees protest at the entrance to the building in Eastbourne Road, Port Elizabeth, yesterday. Picture: EUGENE COETZEE[/caption]

THE extended public works programme (EPWP) in Nelson Mandela Bay hit a snag yesterday when disgruntled employees downed tools following a pay dispute.

Employees – who are recognisable in orange overalls while cleaning streets and establishments such as schools – picketed in front of the Public Works offices in Eastbourne Road.

More than 170 workers gathered, demanding to see officials but were ignored while their supervisor, Nangomso Mbethe, did not respond to phone calls or SMSes.

The EPWP is a government initiative aimed at bringing the unemployed into a temporary work environment, allowing them to acquire skills and gain work experience, enhancing their chances of future employment and cultivating a spirit of entrepreneurship. - Hendrick Mphande