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Security guard strike continues as govt fails to pay wages

Thousands of security guards providing services to Mpumalanga have embarked on a strike since Tuesday as they have not yet received their December payments.

V&M Security, Blue Lion Security, PMD Security and others provide security services at clinics, hospitals, Sassa offices and licencing departments across the province. 

Speaking to Fin24 by phone on Friday evening, Satawu media officer Zanele Sabela said the almost 3000 workers have been told that they would receive payment by Friday but as of close of business were still not paid.

"Unfortunately nothing has changed, workers have still not been paid," she said.

The 15 security companies contracted by Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security & Liaison have been unable to pay its workers due to the department not honouring their invoices. 

"Regrettably, this happens every year. It is not clear whether the department is unable to budget appropriately or if funds are misappropriated," said Sabela.

According to a statement by the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, workers were notified by letter on January 17, that due to "financial constraints the department would pay invoices for December 2019, January and February 2020 in April 2020". 

That means workers will not be paid until April, nearly five months since their last payment.

The worker's union indicated that it resolved to declare a dispute with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration because employers’ failure to remunerate workers on the designated date amounts to unilateral change of conditions of employment. 


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