Jumbo Cash and Carry workers have again taken to the streets to vent their frustration, this time with the department of employment & labour, which has instructed the disgruntled workforce to return to work despite them not yet receiving their Covid-19 test results.
The workers’ initial protest action took place on Tuesday morning after they had voiced their concerns regarding two of their colleagues testing positive, and subsequently forced the closure of the store.
They demanded to be tested and for the store to be sanitised and deep-cleaned.
Massmart group corporate affairs executive Brian Leroni said on Wednesday the store had been reopened and the department of health would be testing staff.
However, on Friday morning workers staged a go-slow outside the store while a handful also tried to protest outside the department of employment & labour offices, which were closed.
One of the workers said: “We have not been screened, they have not fumigated the building. We had two cases when the store was closed.
“And the store has been opened and we are being forced to work tomorrow [Saturday] morning without any of the above being done and they have no certificate proving that the store is safe.”
SA Commercial‚ Catering and Allied Workers Union regional secretary and provincial spokesperson Simphiwe Valela said the department of labour had on Tuesday issued a letter prohibiting the resumption of operations until all the employees were tested and their results forwarded to the department.
“Then workers received another notice saying the prohibition had been revoked and they could return to work. We have a problem with that. No testing of the workers has been done. The workers have been coming here every day and nothing has happened,” Valela said.
He said workers were still at risk and the union was working to have the prohibition of operations reinstated. He said if that was unsuccessful, the union would consider its legal options.
Leroni said the screening of staff before they entered the store continued, and the store was authorised to reopen, but there were still workers who refused to go to work. He said the company would be considering its next steps.
The Weekend Post’s attempts to contact the department of labour official whose name appears on the signed forms for the prohibition of operations were unsuccessful throughout Friday.
Workers refuse to resume duties without test results
Image: WERNER HILLS
Jumbo Cash and Carry workers have again taken to the streets to vent their frustration, this time with the department of employment & labour, which has instructed the disgruntled workforce to return to work despite them not yet receiving their Covid-19 test results.
The workers’ initial protest action took place on Tuesday morning after they had voiced their concerns regarding two of their colleagues testing positive, and subsequently forced the closure of the store.
They demanded to be tested and for the store to be sanitised and deep-cleaned.
Massmart group corporate affairs executive Brian Leroni said on Wednesday the store had been reopened and the department of health would be testing staff.
However, on Friday morning workers staged a go-slow outside the store while a handful also tried to protest outside the department of employment & labour offices, which were closed.
One of the workers said: “We have not been screened, they have not fumigated the building. We had two cases when the store was closed.
“And the store has been opened and we are being forced to work tomorrow [Saturday] morning without any of the above being done and they have no certificate proving that the store is safe.”
SA Commercial‚ Catering and Allied Workers Union regional secretary and provincial spokesperson Simphiwe Valela said the department of labour had on Tuesday issued a letter prohibiting the resumption of operations until all the employees were tested and their results forwarded to the department.
“Then workers received another notice saying the prohibition had been revoked and they could return to work. We have a problem with that. No testing of the workers has been done. The workers have been coming here every day and nothing has happened,” Valela said.
He said workers were still at risk and the union was working to have the prohibition of operations reinstated. He said if that was unsuccessful, the union would consider its legal options.
Leroni said the screening of staff before they entered the store continued, and the store was authorised to reopen, but there were still workers who refused to go to work. He said the company would be considering its next steps.
The Weekend Post’s attempts to contact the department of labour official whose name appears on the signed forms for the prohibition of operations were unsuccessful throughout Friday.
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