By Zinhle Bhuda
The trailer manufacturer, Afrit has rejected allegations made by a group of former employees who recently marched to the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL).
While the protesters claim they were unfairly dismissed 13 years ago, the company maintains that the matter was legally resolved years ago. The dispute reportedly stemmed from a mass dismissal that left hundreds of families without an income.
During a picket at the DEL last month, former employees represented by the Reyaga Community Project alleged that about 500 of them were fired in 2013 after asking for salary increases and claimed management used the dismissals to hide poor safety conditions and workplace injuries.
At the protest, former worker Michael Masilo spoke about his personal struggle and said he has been unemployed since the day he was fired. Another former employee, Moses Maepa, claimed he was forced to work while he was still suffering from a painful injury he got on the job.
In response to these claims, Afrit’s Human Resources Manager, Jean Rossouw, said several details shared by the protesters were not true. He said the dismissal involved 534 employees and that the workers were not fired for asking for raises, but for taking part in an unprotected strike that was against the law.
“The employees were dismissed due to participation in an unprotected strike as defined in the Labour Relations Act, Act 66 of 1995 led by a Trade Union by the name of Federated Mining and Allied Industries Workers Union (FMU),” he said. Rossouw said the company followed all the correct legal steps during the process.
“The dismissed employees sought recourse to the Labour Court, the Labour Appeal Court and the Constitutional Court, all of whom found in favour of company, in that the company followed the correct procedures throughout,” he said. Afrit also strongly denied the serious claims about workplace deaths and ignored injuries.
“We are aware of the allegations; they are baseless, factually incorrect and without merit,” said Rossouw. He explained that Afrit follows strict safety laws and all workplace injuries are handled through the proper legal channels and insurance provisions.
“Afrit is a member of the Rand Mutual Assurance(RMA) hence all IOD’s (Injury on Duty) are administrated in accordance with the provisions of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA)
and the RMA provisions,” said Rossouw.
Meanwhile, the DEL recently promised to look into the case and meet with community leaders, however, Afrit maintains that the legal process is over. Rossouw said the highest court in the country has already made its decision.
“The matter of the unprotected strike was concluded in 2019 through a final ruling by the Constitutional Court,” he said, adding that the workers had legal help throughout the years of court battles.
He said however, “Afrit is always prepared to cooperate with the department.”
