Hundreds of strikers converged on Durban’s Moses Mabhida Soccer World Cup stadium on Friday as the third day of the construction workers’ strike began.
Armed with sticks, umbrellas and knobkerries, the crowd began toyi-toying outside the stadium.
At 7am police in riot gear were seen 50m from the stadium’s entrance to ensure that the Durban High Court ruling was met. The Group Five-WBHO Consortium on Thursday obtained an interdict preventing workers from entering the construction site.
A statement released by the consortium read: ”The interdict prohibits the strikers from being within 50m of the entrances to the site, unless they wish to tender their services in terms of their contracts of employment.”
The interdict also prohibits any unlawful acts from being carried out and the police are empowered to arrest any person in contempt of the order.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is demanding project bonuses of R1 500 a month for each worker.
It is further demanding that subcontractors meet minimum wage requirements for the civil engineering sector.
The union is also demanding that workers be allowed to elect a full-time safety compliance worker, as they are unhappy with the 15 safety compliance officers provided by the consortium. – Sapa