Pikitup to investigate feasibility of full employment for Jozi@Work temporary workers

Pikitup contract workers including former Jozi@Work and EPWP beneficiaries will possibly be given full employment opportunities by the waste management entity soon.

Executive Mayor Herman Mashaba met with representatives of these contract workers on 6 March after alleged non-payment of their contracts.

“Pikitup phased out the [Jozi@Work] programme at the end of December last year when most of the temporary contracts came to an end. During our engagement, I was made aware that the management and payment of these former Jozi@Work temporary workers were done through a number of third-party service providers. I have instructed Pikitup to engage with these service providers and ensure that the matter of non-payment is resolved immediately,” the mayor said.

Mashaba said under the previous administration, the Jozi@Work programme was used to benefit only those who had close political ties to the former leading party.

“Neither service delivery nor work opportunities were the priority. Enriching middle-men [and] labour brokers appeared to be the key driver of this programme.”

As for possibly creating fulltime positions, Pikitup will give the mayor a feasibility study by the end of the month.

“Crucial to our approach will be finding a means of offering these former temporary workers the dignity of stable employment and fair play. The feasibility of creating this employment will be subject to the operational needs of Pikitup whilst guaranteeing the financial sustainability of the entity.”

As part of our implementation process, preference will be given to verified Jozi@Work and EPWP contract workers subject to a recruitment process and assessments of applicants, Mashaba said.

ALSO READ: Why Mashaba scrapped Jozi@Work 

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