EEA and SDA – slow progressPeter Thobejane
The Employment Equity Act (EEA) was passed in 1998 to eliminate all barriers created by the past regime with regard to race, colour and religion, but companies are still reluctant to implement workplace changes in line with the Act says Peter Thobejane.
In May this year a standard letter was sent to 20 Numsa-organised companies requesting their previous EEA plans submitted to the department of labour as well as workplace skills plans (WSP) and annual training reports (ATR) that they had submitted to the Merseta.Only a few companies responded negatively. Others suggested we get the information from our leadership at company level.We told those that were reluctant to provide us with the requested information that we were going to invoke section 61 of the EEA of 1998. Some of them then quickly submitted the information through the shop stewards. When we examined those plans we found that they were not talking to each other. For example the issue of under-representation was not addressed.
Some companies were accredited to train fitters and turners but in their WSP or ATR, no single workers had undergone training for that trade.When we engaged management in one company, they instructed the consultant to walk out of the meeting. One of the biggest threats to progress in this area is the chopping and changing of personnel. It seems to be a tactic that employers use to delay implementation of the requirements.
Starting from scratchWhen the new person comes in the following year, you have to start the process from scratch. The next year s/he resigns and you find you are with another new person and you have to start the whole process all over again. This is despite the legislation which requires companies to appoint a section 24 manager to oversee the implementation of the Act. Meanwhile Numsa shop stewards have now attended a workshop looking at how to develop a WSP that will link with the EEA plan. They will use the information from this workshop to see whether they have done the correct thing in their workplaces. The education department will help with closing the gaps and hopefully employers will be kept on their toes.
Workers at Andrew Mentis feel they are not being paid correctly for the jobs that they do
Workers battle for their skills to be recognizedThere may be a shortage of artisans across the country but these jobs need to be done. And workers that are doing these jobs tell of how their employers use the fact that they don’t have trade certificates to pay them less than the normal artisan rate.
Uguquko luhamba kancaneSekucishe kube iminyaka eyishumi emva kokuba Umthetho Wokulingana Emsebenzini (Employment Equity Act (EEA)) waphasiswa, izinkampani zikhombisa izimpawu ezincane zoguquko. Umthetho Wamakhono kanye ne-EEA kwenzelwe ukuthi kusebenzisane, kodwa akuvamisile ukwenzeka. Kunemali eningi engenayo kubasebenzi abanikezwe umsebenzi wokuhola intuthuko yamakhono okubuye kuphazamise inqubekela phambili. Endaweni yokusebenza i-Andrew Mentis, abasebenzi bayakhathazeka ngenxa yokuthi amakhono abawafunde emsebenzini awanakwa. Kanti ongcweti bemisebenzi ethize abanezitifiketi zomsebenzi wohwebo baya emadlelweni aluhlaza, abasebenzi abasebenzile bazithuthukisa ukuthi babe ngabasizi bongcweti bemisebenzi benza imisebenzi yongcweti kodwa baholelwe kancane kakhulu. Ingabe unalo ulwazi lwalokhu?
At engineering factory, Andrew Mentis in Johannesburg, Martin tells of how he started out as an artisan assistant in 1992. “In 1994 they gave me permission to work alone, they bought tools for me. Since then I have been doing the job and breakdowns. My grade was raised to AA last year but it doesn’t fit with what I’m doing.” He claims that he spends his time doing preventative maintenance, working just as an artisan does. The only difference – he earns about R32 per hour while a qualified artisan gets between R54 and R70 per hour. The reason – he has no trade certificate!
Lucas tells the same story. He began in 1997 as an artisan assistant but now he works on his own as a boilermaker and is classified as a Grade AA. While artisans with papers are free to move to jobs with the highest wage offers, workers without trade certificates like Martin and Lucas are forced to stay in the company that knows what they are capable of. Other workers tell of similar experiences. In many cases they have been upgraded to higher jobs with a promise that they will be upgraded further if they do well. But many are still waiting.
Transformasie is stadigMeer as 10 jaar nadat die Wet op Billike Indiensneming (WBI) deurgevoer is, toon maatskappye min tekens van transformasie.Terwyl die Vaardigheidswet en die WBI veronderstel is om hand aan hand te werk, is dit weinig die geval. Personeellede wat die ontwikkeling van vaardighede moet lei, verander dikwels van werk, wat vooruitgang verder vertraag. By die maatskappy Andrew Mentis is werkers gefrustreerd dat die vaardighede wat hulle by die werk aangeleer het, nie erken word nie. Terwyl ambagsmanne wat ambagsertifikate het, groener weivelde opsoek, doen werkers wat hulle pad moes oopwerk na die posisie van ambagsman, die ambagsman se werk maar teen baie kleiner betaling. Is dit hoe jy dit ondervind?
What really irritates workers is that when new artisans are employed it is the same workers who must show them the ropes. Once they have done this, the new artisan will go on to earn almost double what the current worker is earning. “There are no guidelines,” says Andrew Mentis shop steward, Motsamai Phonya. “We don’t know how many modules are needed in order to reach a higher grade. If there was some agreement that said your prior learning would automatically be recognised so that you would qualify on a higher grade, then we could address workers’ problems.”
Are these the kind of issues what a new grading system in the engineering industry should seek to address? As Numsa News went to print, shop stewards were to meet again with management to discuss issues of recognition of on the job training. Write and tell us your experiences.
Transformation is slowE batlile e ba dilemo tse 10 kaofela ka mora ho ba ho amohelwe Molao wa Tekano Mosebetsing (MTM), dikhampani tse ding tsona di ntse di bontsha matshwao a manyenyane haholo a ho tlisa diphetoho. Jwalo ka ha Molao wa Bokgoni le Molao wa Tekano Mosebetsing e lokela ho sebetsa mmoho, ha se hangata o tla fumana hona ho etsahala. Ho na le palo e hodimo haholo hara basebetsi e fuweng mosebetsi wa ho etella pele ntshetsopele ya bokgoni, mme mona ho na le ho sitisanang le kgetelopele. Sebakeng sa ho sebeletsa sa Andrew Mentis, basebetsi ba nyahamisitswe ke hore bokgoni boo ba ithutetseng bona ha b elwe hloko. Di-artisan tse nang le ditifikeiti tsa mosebetsi di leboha mosebetsi ho ya dibakeng tse ding, basebetsi ba ithutileng mosebetsi ho ba bathusi ba di-artisan ba etsa mesebetsi ya di-artisan empa ka meputso e tlase haholo. Na e ka ba bona ke bona boiphihlelo ba lona?