Cape Town – The National Union of Metal Workers of SA (Numsa) has called for a total shutdown of Golden Arrow if it fails to test its staff and sanitise their workplaces, depots and buses.
Two staff members tested positive for Covid-19.
Golden Arrow informed its staff on Saturday the two individuals who had tested positive were stationed at the Multimech Stores and Arrowgate Inspectorate, and were in quarantine at their homes.
Arrangements were made to sanitise and deep clean the respective workstations of the affected employees and temperature screening will be introduced at Golden Arrow buildings.
In a letter, Numsa regional secretary Vuyo Lufele said the lives of the other staff members were in danger.
“We had a battle with the company from the very onset over the manner in which our members had been exposed to this pandemic, but after the meeting held on March 31, Golden Arrow guaranteed us that all protective and precautionary measures were in place.
"We are saying this, knowing very well that blame will be shifted to the workers instead of the company taking full responsibility of the situation,” he said.
Lufele said bus drivers and mechanics were at risk of contracting the virus.
“The only solution for us is a complete shutdown. However, we do accept that there are essential service sectors and Golden Arrow is not among those sectors unless it is hired by a company that has been identified by the president as an essential service,” Lufele said.
“Any failure to implement any of the demands would force us to collect all our communication to the company as evidence that we advised Golden Arrow of this risk and open a case of attempted murder.”
Numsa said operations should only resume once all their demands were met.
Golden Arrow spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer said they had responded to Numsa and remained open to discussion.
“Our response is guided by and in line with the recommendations of the National Institute for Communicable Diseases and the authorities,” she said.