Dismissed employees demand medical exams
Koketso Kgoboge | Tuesday September 8, 2015 16:00
EFSS is a company engaged by Botswana Power Corporations (BPC), at the Morupule B Power Plant.
“We work in a high risk area where there is high voltage electricity. We work with fibreglass, coal dust, limestone, silica dust and all sorts of chemicals, and at heights, yet we don’t receive risk allowance. Since the management claims that our contracts have elapsed, we demand that we be paid our leave days and be taken for medical checkups to ensure we were not affected health wise by the conditions we worked under,” said one employee who spoke on condition of anonymity.
They said medical tests were conducted on them when they began working with the company.
The aggrieved employees, who converged at the parking lot outside Morupule B power plant offices yesterday, also said that when they appeared for work last week Wednesday, their director denied them entry.
They said they had issues they needed to resolve with management, amongst them, a contract they are expected to sign on a monthly basis, and failure of the management to increase their salaries as promised.
“We have a problem with this contract we sign monthly because it compromises our job security. When we raise complaints to management we are threatened. Some of our colleagues have been fired for complaining,” they said.
Another source, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of being victimised, said since they were recruited in 2012, they did scaffolding with different companies.
“We have been engaged here for six months but the management still wants us to sign a one month contract. When we try to engage them they arrogantly tell us there are over 150 people waiting for this job,” said the source.
The director of EFSS, Melvin Guga, dismissed the accusations levelled against his company.
Guga said the company had never promised to increase anyone’s salary as claimed. He also said they offered the employees contracts, which they refused to sign.
“In our books, they don’t work for us anymore because they refused to sign the contracts. I offered them contracts but they refused to sign them. I cannot allow them into the BPC plant under my company without contracts. I will not risk the property of BPC with them because whatever happens they will be associated with me,” he said.
When quizzed about the medical examinations, Guga said BPC had required the medicals, and not them.
“I cannot answer that. BPC are the right people to engage on that matter. Besides, these guys are provided with the necessary safety clothing and safety masks for their protection during their line of work,” he said.