MICHAEL METELITS, Johannesburg | Wednesday 12.10pm.
THE Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) claims that several employers, some large-scale, are requiring employees to work on Wednesday, election day.
The party alleges that businesses are “conniving with certain political parties to deny workers the right to vote so that these parties benefit from the outcome of a poor poll turn out” according to a statement released on Wednesday.
The federation claims violence and intimidation have come side-by side with less extreme deterrents to voting.
Farm employers, domestic employers, Nando’s, Pick ‘n Pay, Edgars, Checkers and Stuttaford’s were named in a Cosatu statement criticising the practice of “forcing” workers to report to work on the public holiday set aside for voting.
The trade union federation claims that many employers have not been co-operative in Cosatu’s efforts to ensure participation by employees. “Regrettably, not all employers think that democracy is in the interests of workers,” the statement said.
Cosatu cited constitutional voting guarantees and the Basic Conditions of Employment Act in suggesting that forcing voters to work on this election day is “clearly acting outside the bounds of the law.”
Cosatu called on employees to treat Wednesday as a “no-work’ day, and where agreements have been made to work, transport should be provided for workers to vote. The union federation also threatened legal action against employers who “force workers to report to work”, and its affiliates nationwide are monitoring employer performance.