Tasima-werkers kry swaar ná salarisbetalings ophou | Netwerk24
Tasima-werkers kry swaar ná salarisbetalings ophou
Deur Bonolo Selebano 13 Augustus 2019 22:34
Gestrande werkers van Tasima, ’n voormalige diensverskaffer van die Padverkeersbestuurskorporasie (RTMC), sal moet wag om te hoor of ’n arbeidshofbeslissing dat hulle deur die RTMC ingeneem moet word van krag bly of nie.
Dié hof het in 2016 beslis dat die RTMC die bestuur van Tasima se eNatis-verkeersinligtingstelsel en ander verwante dienste moet oorneem.
Die hof het bevind ’n verlenging van Tasima se kontrak wat in 2010 beding is, is onwettig.
Tasima het hom daarna tot die arbeidshof gewend, wat beslis het dat die RTMC sy personeellede moet oorneem.
Die RTMC se appèl daarteen in die arbeidsappèlhof het misluk, waarna die RTMC hom tot die konstitusionele hof gewend het om die arbeidshof se beslissing tersyde te stel.
Intussen het werkers soos Celilia Mahlonoko, wat as sekretaresse by Tasima gewerk het, in Desember 2018 hul laaste salaris van die RTMC ontvang.
“Ons sukkel om te oorleef,” het sy Dinsdag aan Netwerk24 gesê. “Ek moet betaal vir my twee dogter se vervoer skool toe en my ma het op my salaris staatgemaak. Die laagtepunt was toe ek dit nie kon bekostig om sanitêre doekies vir my dogter te koop nie.”
Die RTMC het die Tasima-werknemers se salarisbetalings gestaak nadat die arbeidsappèlhof ’n tussentydse bevel – wat die RTMC genoodsaak het om die salarisse van 79 Tasima-werkers te betaal totdat die konstitusionele hof klaarheid oor die saak gee – tersyde gestel het.
Adv. Alistair Franklin SC het Dinsdag namens Tasima in die konstitusionele hof aangevoer dat die RTMC die eNatis-verkeersinligtingstelsel nie kan oorneem sonder om die Tasima-werkers oor te neem nie.
Adv. Andrew Redding SC, wat die RTMC verteenwoordig, sê egter die departement van vervoer het nie voorsien dat die oorplasing van Tasima se eNatis-verkeersinligtingstelsel na die departement ook die betrokke werknemers sou insluit nie.
Hoofregter Mogoeng Mogoeng het Redding daarop gevra of die RTMC nie die voormalige Tasima-werkers benadeel deur die verkeersinligtingstelsel sonder hulle oor te neem nie.
“Jy kan tog nie nou weens jou eie voorkeure of interne probleme ander benadeel deur die ware aard van dit wat oorgeplaas word te verander nie,” het Moegoeng gesê.
Die konstitusionele hof lewer later uitspraak.
Constance Nkomo sê dis vir haar en haar drie kinders moeilik om finansieel kop bo water te hou.
“Ek kan nie my rekeninge betaal of in my daaglikse behoeftes voorsien nie,” sê sy.
Maureen Senawela kla ook dat die RTMC haar kinders se lewe ontwrig het.
“My kinders was ’n sekere leefstyl gewoond, toe moes ek ophou werk,” sê sy. “Ek het aansoek gedoen om ander werk, dit is nie asof ek by die huis sit en niks doen nie.”
Destitute workers from Tasima, a former service provider to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), will have to wait longer to find out if a Labour Court order that they be absorbed by the RTMC will be upheld. This as the Constitutional Court on Tuesday in Johannesburg reserved judgment in the application by the RTMC to appeal against a 2017 Labour Court ruling that the RTMC should absorb Tasima’s workforce. This as the apex court in 2016 ordered that the National Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) and other, related services provided by Tasima to the RTMC, be handed over to the RTMC. This after the court found that the 2010 extension of Tasima’s contract with the RTMC was unlawful.
Tasima then launched an application to the Labour Court to have its workforce absorbed by the RTMC. The Court ruled in Tasima’s favour.
The RTMC then asked the Labour Appeals Court to set aside the original order and failed. The RTMC then applied to the ConCourt to appeal the original order.
As the legal wrangle between the RTMC and Tasima continues, Celilia Mahlonoko, who worked as a receptionist at Tasima, said her last pay check from the RTMC came in December 2018, and since then, her and her daughter were forced to make do on nothing.
“We are not surviving. I have to pay for my daughters transport to school and my mother was relying on my salary. My lowest moment was when I couldn’t afford to buy my daughter sanitary towels,” she said.
Mahlonoko said the RTMC stopped paying their salaries in December 2018.
This as the Labour Appeals Court set aside an interim order of the Labour Court that the RTMC continues paying the monthly salaries of Tasima’s 79 employees, pending the RTMC’s appeal in the apex court
Earlier in court, Adv. Alistair Franklin SC, for Tasima argued that there RTMC could not take over the eNaTIS system without the employees who operated it.
“What is transferred must be a business in operation so that the business remains the same but in different hands,” he said
However, Adv Andrew Redding SC, for the RTMC said the transport department did not “anticipate” that the transfer of eNaTIS to the transport department, would include Tasima employees.
“It could never have been anticipated that upon transfer that the Tasima employees would have gone across. What this anticipates is that Tasima employees don’t go but that they remain so that they can continue to provide consultations services,” he said
Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng than asked Redding if the RTMC did not “prejudice” Tasima workers by taking over the eNaTIS system without the employees who operated it
“You can’t now because of your own preferences or internal problems prejudice others by changing the true nature of what is being transferred?” he asked.
Constance Nkomo, said her and her 3 children were finding it “difficult” to make ends meet.
“I can’t pay my bills and meet my day to day needs. I also looked for a job but I have not been hired,” she said.
Maureen Senawela said the RTMC has unsettled the life of her children.
“My children were used to a certain lifestyle then I stopped working. I have also been applying for jobs, it’s not like I’ve been sitting at home doing nothing,” she said
Meer oor: Tasima