KOMATIPOORT – Workers of the Kambaku Golf Club have been on strike for the past five days about wages and the ill treatment they allegedly receive from their employer.
According to the leader of the strike,
Mr Enock Shabangu, they are tired of being treated badly.
“We are tired of the way we are treated, we all work for the same company but we are not treated like human beings. Some of us have been earning the same salary of R1 500 for more than 10 years. We can no longer go on like this,” said Shabangu.
The strike, which begun last week Friday, has been peaceful so far. However, two of the protesters are expected to appear in the Komatipoort Magistrate’s Court tomorrow on charges of public violence.
Another grievance raised by the striking workers was that of transportation, as getting to work was a challenge, especially over weekends.
“On weekends it is difficult to get to work because there is no public transport and the workplace is quite a distance from public roads. Our employers promised to address the issue but has done nothing so far,” said one protester.
Speaking to Corridor Gazette, chairman of the club’s board, Mr Piet van Dyk, informed this paper that a representative of the union had been sent to address the workers on the correct procedure to follow when presenting their grievances.
“As we speak a representative of the union is addressing the workers on how things should have been done, because it seems there has been a big misunderstanding and people have been misled,” Van Dyk said.
At the time of going to press the striking workers were still protesting at the entrance of the golf club, preventing anyone from entering the premises, and police have been present at the scene since the strike began.
