PASDEC employees return to work
Tumelo Mouwane | Thursday March 30, 2017 16:30
In an interview, employee’ representative, Oarabile Motlhalamme said the company management gave them a platform to air their concerns and intense negotiation over employees’ welfare will commence next week Thursday when all members of the company’s administration board are present.
‘’The management has given us a platform to air our concerns and negotiate the payments rate issue, since the management and the committee agreed to hold intensive negotiations in the presence of all their board members next week Thursday, we have agreed to go back to work.
Some of their board members are not in the country, so we will have to wait for them until Thursday.
We will take our issue from there.
“What I can say is that our agreement with PASDEC to go back to work pending negotiations is a progressive move and an uncertain move at the same time because they are looking at the fact that production had stopped, but at the same time our concerns have not yet been addressed,’’ Motlhalamme said.
PASDEC managing director, Kevin Patther who arrived in the country yesterday to address the fuming employees said the matter has been resolved and employees have returned to work.
He said the issue between their company and employees was just a misunderstanding, but they have engaged Department of Labour.
“The matter has been resolved and employees have returned to work. The whole issue was not really about the employees concerns, it was just a misunderstanding, we engaged Labour department and we spoke to the employees to inform them that what they were doing was illegal and they were transgressing the Labour laws.
They have understood our rights from manufacturers' point of view.
I spoke to them and we now have full attendance except for normal absenteeism of 40 people,” Patther said.
“Discussions began on Thursday 23rd March, and incremental progress is being made to ensure that PASDEC’s staff and the company reach equitable agreement,” a statement released yesterday by the company’s publicity officer, Mike Mortimer, read in part.
The employees downed tools on Monday. Information reaching Mmegi suggests that the company, which is in the process of relocating from South Africa, was allegedly engaging other people who were on the employment waiting list to replace those on strike.
On Monday, Mortimer who is also PASDEC's project manager, declined further enquiry from Mmegi saying the issue was now 'at a very sensitive stage'.
He said they will release a statement on the issue.
“What I can tell you is that indeed there is a strike. That one cannot be disputed, but I cannot divulge any further information because the issue is still at a very sensitive stage,” he said.
One of the management board members (name withheld) said the company has admitted some things it had done wrong and they are working around the clock to address them.
“The company has admitted its wrongdoings, but they are working around the clock to address such,” he said.