Johannesburg - A KwaZulu-Natal security company has been ordered by the Labour Court in Durban to pay back over R100 000 plus interest in unpaid wages to its workers.
Gumede Protection and Cleaning CC was taken to the court by the Labour Department. This was after several complaints from its employees that they were owed wages, overtime, annual leave and bonuses.
The department said, in a statement on Monday, that workers’ complaints were confirmed during an inspection. The company was found to have contravened the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA).
A compliance order was issued to the company, requesting that the workers were paid.
The matter was then taken to the Labour Court after the company failed to comply with the compliance order.
Judge Whitcher fined the company R4 500 and ordered that it come up R119 248.16 in unpaid money to employees.
The court also ruled that Gumede Protection and Cleaning pay back the employees at an interest rate of 9 percent or latest interest rate per annum.
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If the company fails to comply with the court order, the department said it would petition the sheriff of the court to attach and sell the company’s assets to settle the claim.
According to its website, it was established in 2001 by Sizwe David Ngubeni.
The first site was in the private sector where armed security officers were provided to safe guard property and employees in 2001. The site was located in a high risk area where the client was dealing with large sums of cash on daily bases.
LABOUR BUREAU