Pule waga Mabe As the petrol price rises to record heights, South Africa’s petrol attendants have emerged as among the worst-paid workers in the country, with some taking home just over R200 every two weeks. In Soshanguve township near Pretoria, for example, one petrol station, BP garage, pays its workers a fortnightly wage as low as R223,24. Meanwhile, in early July the petrol price soared to R3,51 a litre. When the Mail & Guardian visited the Soshanguve station this week, workers were unhappy with working conditions as well as their paltry salary packages. They claimed that they are not allowed time for lunch, nor are they paid overtime. “We are working 10 hours but we are paid for eight hours only,” said Enos Mokgwatsane of the Soshanguve BP garage. Industry regulators have confirmed that petrol attendants in the country are underpaid.
Retail Motor Industry Organisation representative Ferdi Hertzenberg said his organisation, which regulates the oil industry, is aware of “petrol stations exploiting workers”. Hertzenberg said that several cases of unfair labour practice involving petrol attendants have been reported to the Council for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, and that the majority of complaints involve underpayment. His organisation recommends minimum wages of R744 a month for a petrol attendant. The Motor Industry Federation has confirmed that its organisation has received numerous complaints of petrol attendants being underpaid. According to an insider from the organisation, reconcili- atory meetings were held between workers and fuel station owners. The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has expressed dismay at the conditions of workers. “Top on our agenda this year is to ensure that petrol attendants earn good living wages,” said Siphiwe Mgcina, Cosatu national representative, who also lashed out at garage owners for shifting the blame of underpaying staff to the government. Owners say it is the government that increased the price of fuel, thus cutting into their profit. “We are aware that the motor industry is exploitative,” said Dumisa Ntuli, representative of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa). Ntuli claims his union represents 15 000 petrol attendants across the country, and that it was gazetted last month – in the Government Gazette of June 23 – that petrol attendants should earn at least R5 an hour. Ntuli said part of Numsa’s aims is to ensure that workers’ conditions are improved on a daily basis, and initiatives are in place – but wages are still far below a living wage. Meanwhile, taxis have already increased their fares because of the petrol price hike.
Petrol stations are generally not owned by the oil company subsidiaries operating in South Africa, but by independent business persons who enter into various kinds of contractual arrangements with the oil companies. They are obliged to follow various guidelines – such as on the layout of station forecourts and shops – but the oil companies do not have any influence over working conditions. Fuel retailers operate on fixed margins, which means their profits are not determined by the price of fuel, which is set by the state. Profits therefore depend on the volumes of fuel the stations sell. Petrol attendants in the suburbs and cities are paid better salaries than their township counterparts. In Johannesburg’s northern suburbs, for example, petrol attendants earn more than R1 000 a month, considerably more than attendants in townships earn. The Caltex garage in Rosebank, Johannesburg, pays petrol attendants R1E137,66 a month, which is far higher than take-home pay among township attendants. Rates paid apply to all workers without regard to their qualifications and experience. Records of the South African Petroleum Industry Association reflect that the price of petrol has increased drastically from last year. The report indicates that from January 6 1999 to July 5 2000, the price of petrol has been raised from R2,30 to R3,51 a litre.