Western Cape has jobs planKarl Cloete
Cape Town could soon become a centre for ship repair and servicing of offshore oil and gas rigs. Such a venture could create much needed jobs for the region.
This is after the provincial government, labour and industry met on May 9 to explore the challenges and opportunities.Parties identified key challenges as poor physical infrastructure around ship repair, an expensive port with poorly maintained facilities and a shortage of skills. But a key opportunity is that it is estimated that for every job created in shipbuilding, five others are created that link to this job.
A R10m skills development programme with funding from the Department of Labour will be launched soon and will be the first step towards the rebuilding of a marine-based artisan skills base.
However all this could be scuppered by Portnet who are determined to go ahead and move all shipbuilding and repairs to Saldanha Bay, more than 100 kms north of Cape Town. And in place of shipbuilding, they want to expand the port to make space for more containers
More meetings will be held soon with all parties to try and find agreement on the way forward. Meanwhile help could also be on the way for other metal and engineering sectors and workplaces like Tedelex, Panasonic and Roth Medical. All these companies are threatened as a result of cheaper imports, lower import tariffs and a lack of the necessary supply side measures to compete internationally.
The province promised to intervene in a similar way as it did with the clothing and textile industry. Roth Medical could also benefit from government procurement. Although it supplies medical equipment to the health sector, most public hospitals buy from abroad rather than locally.
Jobs safe!Jenny Grice
ImisebenziENtshonalanga Kapa kungenziwa imisebenzi uma uhlelo lokwenza iKapa ukuthi libe isikhungo sokulungisa imikhumbi futhi kuqale nomsebenzi wokusevisa uwoyela kanye negesi yamazwe aphesheya. Lokhu kwenzeka emva komhlangano phakathi kwezemisebenzi, uhulumeni wesifundazwe kanye namabhizinisi.Kodwa-ke imisebenzi yabahlali baseKapa ingacwila uma uPortnet eba nendlela yokwenza asuse ukwakhiwa kwemikhumbi kanye nokulungiswa ekusa endaweni engaphezu kwama-100 km enyakatho ye-Saldanha Bay. Isifundazwe sethembisile naso ukuthi sizongenelela ngendlela efanayo naleyo esayenza embonini yendwangu ezinkampanini ezinjengoTedelex, Panasonic ne-Roth Medical.E-Lear Corporation ePitoli, ukudilizwa kwabasebenzi emsebenzini kusamisiwe okwamanje kanti nabanye abasebenzi abaqashwe ngabafuneli bezemisebenzi sebeqashwe ngokugcwele.Umhleli wasekhaya weNumsa, uSekgone Tshonga, ukholelwa ukuthi ukulandela isigaba 189A ku-LRA. Kusizile ukugcina imisebenzi
Over the past three years, more than 400 workers at Lear Corporation in Rosslyn, Pretoria have lost their jobs despite accepting wage cuts and wage freezes.
“Whilst the company claimed that it was losing business due to the alleged expensiveness of its employees compared to its competitors, such competitors were paying their employees far more than Lear Rosslyn was paying!” says local organiser Sekgome Tshoga.
But at the beginning of this year another storm cloud appeared – management said that another 100 jobs must go. The company said that its customer wanted the job made at the Lear factory in East London.
WerksgeleenthedeWerksgeleenthede kan in die Wes-Kaap geskep word as “˜n plan op dreef kom om Kaapstad die sentrum te maak vir herstelwerk aan skepe en die diens van olie-en gasbore in die see. Dit is die nuus ná “˜n vergadering tussen georganiseerde arbeid, die provinsiale regering en die sakesektor. Werksgeleenthede vir inwoners van Kaapstad kan egter skipbreuk ly as Portnet sy sin kry en skeepsbouwerk en herstelwerk meer as 100 km noord na Saldanhabaai verskuif. Die provinsie het ook beloof om vir maatskappye soos Tedelex, Panasonic en Roth Medical tussenbeide te tree, net soos hy met die klere- en tekstielbedryf gedoen het. By Lear Corporation in Pretoria is afdankings vireers teruggehou, en is werkers wat deur middel van arbeidsmakelaars in diens geneem word, permanent gemaak. Numsa se plaaslike organiseerder, Sekgome Tshoga, glo dat die besluit om 189A-roete in die Wet op Arbeidsverhoudinge te volg, gehelp het om die werksgeleenthede te red.
“This was just a lie we suspected,” says Tshoga. “They wanted to take the jobs to East London because workers at the factory there earn R4 less per hour.”
“We then gave them an ultimatum – bring half of the job to Pretoria or we will go on strike!” But the hard work has finally paid off. Lear has agreed not to retrench and 15 of the 29 workers employed through a labour broker will finally become part of the permanent staff.
MesebetsiMane Western Cape, menyetla ya mesebetsi e ka hlaha ha morero wa ho etsa Cape Town setsi sa ho lokisa dikepe le ho fana ka tshebeletso ya oli le gase dinaheng tsa matjhaba e ka simollwa. Hona ho tlile ka mora ho tshwara ha kopano mahareng a mekgatlo ya basebetsi, mmuso wa provinse le mekgatlo ya kgwebo.Le ha ho le jwalo, mesebetsi bakeng sa badudi ba Cape Town e ka sitiseha ha Portnet e ka atleha ho etsa ka moo e batlang ka ho fetisetsa kaho ya dikepe le tokiso ya tsona sebakeng se bohole ba dikilometara tse ka hodimo ho tse 100 leboya ho Saldanha Bay.Provinse hape e tshepisitse ho kena dipakeng ka tsela e tshwanang jwalo ka ha e entse indastering ya diaparo le masela bakeng sa dikhampani tse jwalo ka Tedelex, Panasonic le Roth Medical. Mane Lear Corporation e Pretoria teng, ho fokotswa ha batho mosebetsing ho sa emisitswe ha jwale mme basebetsi ba bang ba hirilweng ka di-labour broker ba se ba ntswe basebetsi ba dinako tsohle.Numsa local organiser, Sekgome Tshoga, o dumela hore ka ho latela karolo ya 189A e Molaong wa Dikamano Mosebetsing ho ile ha thusa ho fihlela mesebetsi ena.
Facilitated negotiationsTshoga believes that the CCMA Commissioner “helped us to get information that in previous retrenchments they had refused to give us. Any company which falls under section 189a should try this facilitated thing rather than just dealing with retrenchment as it is.””We were able to identify relevant information that could assist then the commissioner could immediately arbitrate on it. There is no delay, the commissioner can issue a notice to strike/lockout.”