Steel giant Iscor’s disciplinary action against more than 30 workers for taking the day off to vote on April 14 was part of a ”broader dirty tricks strategy”, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) said on Wednesday.
Numsa national spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli said it was Iscor’s plan to voluntarily retrench 1 000 workers this year and the more than 30 workers facing disciplinary hearings were being used as scapegoats.
”This is part of a broader dirty tricks strategy by Iscor to dismiss workers and reach their target of 1 000,” he said.
The union had written a letter to Iscor asking them to call off the disciplinary hearings or face legal action because workers had a constitutional right to vote.
Ntuli said that, in response to their letter, Iscor had informed their shopsteward that the hearings would go ahead.
”We are angry at the company’s decision to go ahead despite our explanations.”
Iscor’s group executive for corporate affairs, Phaldie Kalam, declined to comment on Numsa latest accusations. He, however, confirmed on Tuesday that 30 employees had not requested time off on April 14 and as a result faced routine disciplinary enquiry. The company had a standing agreement with Numsa which governed the attendance of staff on public holidays, said Kalam.
Iscor’s steel mills operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and shift work on public holidays was inevitable, he said.
”In terms of this agreement a staff member which is allocated to a shift on a public holiday is entitled to request time off and will be allowed to do so depending on the manpower resources for that particular day. None of the 30 employees requested time off.”
Ntuli said they were aware of the agreement pertaining to public holidays and had never transgressed this, but April 14 did not fall into this deal.
”President Thabo Mbkei announced in the media that April 14 was a public holiday for all people to go and vote. The agreement with Iscor does not include this day, but only other public holidays on the calendar set by government. These workers took it for granted that they had the right to take the day off and cast their votes.”
He added that some workers found long queues at polling stations, which made going back to work difficult.
Kalam said all shift workers had at least six hours in which to register their votes and if the enquiry revealed that they had reasonable cause not to attend work — like long queues at polling stations — then this would be taken into account.
Two hearings have been conducted so far and the two employees concerned were given warnings for taking time off without permission, he said.
The rest of the disciplinary enquiries would be held over the next week. – Sapa