Durban - SUNCOAST Casino employees downed tools six weeks ago, and said they would continue to picket until their employer responded to their concerns.
Employees started picketing on Friday, January 29 after they received picketing rules from the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and approval to picket.
One employee said they were guaranteed a 13th cheque and that the company would contribute 7.5% to their pension fund. However, the company apparently changed their contracts and alerted them via a text message without prior engagements.
They said they were supposed to get their 13th cheque before the end of December 2020.
“We even asked for at least 50% and the company said no. We don’t even know why they don’t want to pay our 13th cheque,” said the employee.
Another employee, who had been working at the company for about 15 years, said employees were angry.
“These people work here. We see the money that goes down in the drop boxes, we know the casino is making money yet they want to plead poverty. They have gone and purchased stuff, so why are they pleading poverty? These people aren’t fighting for bonuses or increases; we didn’t even receive an annual increase, we are fighting for what rightfully belongs to us - a 13th cheque and contribution to our retirement fund,” the employee said.
On Tuesday, Future of South African Workers Union (Fosawu) national organiser Bigboy Motha said they started picketing on Friday because they had been waiting for the CCMA to give them picketing rules because the law did not allow them to picket without the rules.
“For now we will be there (Suncoast Casino) every day of the week and we will revisit our mandate every Friday,” said Motha.
He said Suncoast was apparently taking advantage of the pandemic by changing contracts and not engaging with the union, especially since Fosawu was the majority union at the casino.
“There’s no engagement at all from the employer,” said Motha.
Motha said the picketers comprised employees at Suncoast Casino, including waiters and chefs; those who specifically worked for Tsogo Sun.
Motha, the convenor of the picket, was one of the seven people who were taken in by police on Monday during the picket.
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed that seven people who were picketing at Suncoast Casino were taken in by police. They were later released on a warning and no case was opened.
Motha questioned why picketers were being arrested, and said without an explanation he was loaded in a police van along with two women and four men.
He denied that they were released on a warning, because they were granted permission to picket.
Suncoast Casino was asked to comment on the matter on Monday but had not responded at the time of publication.
Daily News