/ 1 November 2007

Work on Durban World Cup stadium set to grind to a halt

Construction on Durban’s 2010 Soccer World Cup stadium is set to come to a halt next Wednesday when workers down tools, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said on Thursday.

Mzi Poswa, NUM’s regional organiser and chief negotiator said the strike would start on November 5.

Poswa — who said NUM represented mine workers, construction workers and energy workers — was responding after media reports indicated that the strike would begin this week.

NUM’s KwaZulu-Natal coordinator Bonginkosi Mncwabe said 1 200 workers would be downing tools over project bonuses, sub-contractors’ back-pay and safety issues.

He said that the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration had issued a certificate of non-resolution.

Mncwabe said the unions had campaigned for sub-contractors to meet minimum wage requirements for the civil engineering sector.

”They [the consortium] agreed to it, but what about all the time they [the workers] have worked so far? There must be backpay.”

The unions are demanding project bonuses of R1 200 a month for each worker. Initially, R9 an hour had been demanded.

He said the unions were also demanding that a safety and compliance officer be appointed who would be acceptable to the workers.

eThekwini municipal city manager Mike Sutcliffe and the Group Five-WBHO consortium could not be reached for comment. – Sapa