Council backs shift reform and allowances for asset protection officers

In a significant step forward in the fight for insourcing, the Tshwane Council’s meeting on January 29 saw the formalisation of shifts and allowances for Asset Protection Officers (APOs) approved.

This change primarily impacts APOs and VIP Protection Officers by standardising their compensation and working conditions.

This includes fixed monthly allowances to curb excessive and often ‘unlawful’ overtime.

Officers are being formally reclassified as shift workers.

This entitles them to specific benefits under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), including night-shift allowances, which provide for extra pay for work performed between 18:00 and 06:00.

Sunday and public holiday work will also be paid at the prescribed higher rates for working during these times.

These workers will also become full-time employees of the metro, which will integrate them into the TMPD’s structure, providing them with the same remuneration and benefits as other municipal employees.

In a statement released by the Gauteng EFF, the party welcomed the approval, stating that behind the legal jargon, the effort is still about insourcing.

“Although presented under the label of Asset Protection, this decision is fundamentally about insourcing.

“It addresses the unjust treatment of workers who, for years, performed operational security duties while being incorrectly recorded as office-hour staff.

“As a result, more than 1 300 APOs were denied night-shift, weekend, public holiday allowances and overtime they were legally entitled to,” the statement read.

The EFF said, despite the 2019 resolution to align APOs with the TMPD regarding shifts and benefits, workers were still subjected to month-to-month contracts, a common gripe among the disgruntled guards.

“The EFF supports the formalisation of shifts, the implementation of approved allowances, and the correction of payroll and SAP system distortions. However, council approval must be followed by immediate implementation. Further delays will not be tolerated,” the statement continued.

MMC for Health Tshegofatso Mashabela said the approval was not just about the protection of buildings and the metro’s assets, but of the dignity, labour rights, and the livelihoods of the guards.

“We are debating this report today to correct years of exploitation where workers were treated as clerical staff on paper but operational labour in reality. This report is a victory of struggle, not generosity,” Mashabela said.

The outsourced security guard group spokesperson, Hlengiwe Ngwenya, also welcomed the Council’s decision and said a general meeting is scheduled to take place soon.

“Thank you very much for the support. There’s progress, but we can’t say any more than the dignity of the black child today has been restored.

“There’s going to be a general meeting soon, sometime next week, we will confirm the date, but for now we want to take everyone who showed up and ask them to maintain proper discipline,” Ngwenya said.

The guards staged a picket outside Tswhane House during the Council sitting, when they were addressed by metro council members, including Community Safety MMC, Alderman Hannes Coetzee.

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