Firemen still hot under the collar

A fire fighter inspects the remains of the storage building at the Tambo Memorial hospital, Boksburg after it caught fire resulting in an estimated 7 million rands worth of damage. 310515. Picture: Chris Collingridge 213

A fire fighter inspects the remains of the storage building at the Tambo Memorial hospital, Boksburg after it caught fire resulting in an estimated 7 million rands worth of damage. 310515. Picture: Chris Collingridge 213

Published Jul 23, 2015

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Johannesburg - Joburg firefighters will abide by the Labour Court’s ruling that they must work a 48-hour shift each week.

They have, however, vowed to pursue other legal routes to ensure their demands are met.

On Wednesday, the court issued an interim order compelling firefighters to return to their normal working schedule.

The disgruntled firefighters’ representative, Dan Motsoeneng, said the court’s ruling would only grant the City of Joburg a temporary reprieve.

“Remember, the judge didn’t dismiss our case, he only ordered that the status quo must be reinstated, which means we are going back to working overtime unpaid. We respect the court’s decision because we are law abiding,” he said.

Motsoeneng said firefighters would pursue other legal channels. “The matter will be heard on an expeditious basis, just as the city has requested. So now we are running parallel processes, the arbitration is still going on as well.”

Last week, about 1 000 firefighters stopped working beyond eight hours in protest against the long-standing dispute over-time payment. They abandoned their overtime duties between 4pm and 7pm.

Subsequently, they received suspension letters. The suspended firefighters would stay away from work pending investigations, Motsoeneng said.

kgopi.mabotja.inl.co.za

The Star

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