WATCH: Spartan factory workers demand R8 an hour salary increase
Some factory workers earn R16.22 an hour.
About 150 factory workers gathered on Newton Street in Spartan on Wednesday morning to protest against their low salaries and suspension.
The workers, who included packers and forklift-drivers, are employees of Work Force, a staffing and recruitment agency. When Express arrived at the scene, they were dancing and singing struggle songs with sticks in hand. One woman carried a sign that read “No Ubuntu allowed.”
Forklift-driver Walter Ndou acted as spokesperson for the group, who could be heard shouting “Amandla!” behind him. He earns R25.80 per hour, while general packers earn R16.22 per hour. All workers work eight hours a day.
According to him, the workers demanded an R8 an hour increase for all. “We refused to sign a new contract because there was no sign of an increase. On April 1, we all received a letter of suspension of contract from Work Force, saying that we don’t have to come back to work.”
Ndou says he and other workers felt broken when they received the news. “We are struggling to pay rent and children’s school fees. We just can’t make it.”
Work Force site manager Arthur Mdakane arrived on the scene at about 9.20am to give the workers their pay slips. One worker showed hers to Express. As a general packer, she earned about R880 in March.
Mdakane refused to give comment. Express also contacted the Work Force office in Kempton Park but was told that they were not allowed to comment on the situation.
