The Department of Labour has told security guards who marched to its offices in Pretoria on Friday that it will consider their demands on improved working conditions and salary adjustments.
”We will take your memorandum to the minister. We have taken note of your demands,” said Anne-Marie van Zyl, executive manager of employment standards at the department.
Van Zyl said the department is preparing to investigate demands made by the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu).
The memorandum was handed over to Van Zyl and manager of employment standards Virgil Seafield.
The estimated 200 security guards, in red Satawu T-shirts, marched to Minister of Labour Membathisi Mdladlana’s offices to protest salary discrepancies and ”overlapping legislation” in the security sector.
The guards also waved placards, some of which read, ”I’m guarding millions of rand but earning peanuts” and ”R1 500 is below the poverty line”.
Satawu demanded no less than R3 500 to be paid monthly to all security guards.
A motorcade of five Gauteng police vans and six Tshwane metro police officers on motorbikes kept an eye over the peaceful proceedings, while 14 police officers blocked the entrance to Laboria House with fibre-glass shields.
”The first of three key demands in the memorandum we will deliver today is for the minister to immediately appoint an employment conditions commission to investigate the adjustment of salaries in the sector as opposed to salary increases,” said Satawu national coordinator Mzwandile Simon earlier.
The second demand was for the Department of Labour to enforce provisions of law, as there is a lot of non-compliance within the sector about provident (retirement) funds.
The third demand was for the minister to facilitate a meeting between Satawu, the department and safety and security officials to deal with overlapping legislation affecting security workers.
Simon added that of concern are outdated training methods used in the sector.
”It must be ensured that the Poslec Seta [the sector’s training authority] delivers and that it is held accountable. Currently, security workers are being trained using the old apartheid system.”
He said should the department ignore the demands made, Satawu members will go on a strike that will negatively affect the country’s economy. — Sapa