Durban - Screeners and cleaners, hired on a temporary basis to help schools prevent the spread of Covid-19, have not been paid since they started working almost three months ago.
Several staff members in Pongola, northern KwaZulu-Natal, went on strike this week demanding to know when they would be paid. This allegedly led to about nine schools in the area being unable to open this week.
The problem is widespread, with allegations that workers in Durban and Umzimkhulu had also not been paid.
The workers are employed and managed by the Department of Public Works.
A screener at one of the schools in the Umzimkulu district said, “The contract is from the Department of Public Works, so we know we are employed by that department and even the school principals made it clear to us that we are employed by Public Works.
“Adverts for this post were circulated via WhatsApp saying the school governing bodies were hiring cleaners and screeners. On the advert it said we will be earning R3500. I went to speak to SGB members and that is how most of us got the job.
“We were then given contracts and on those it was said we are going to be making R2000. We went for training a week after we started working. We have not received a cent since, almost three months ago.
“We work outside the gate from early in the morning and it’s extremely cold. We were given no other protective gear except for masks or face shields. Cleaners did not even get masks. The thermometer we were given does not work most of the time,” she said.
An SGB member at Magutshwa High School in Pongola said almost all the schools there had not opened, while many others under the Zululand districts remained closed.
“We met the Department of Education officials yesterday as they are concerned about the bad publicity since there is now a video of the cleaners complaining about not being paid since they started working.
“They have also not given us any indication of when this might be resolved.
“Those fumigating, screening and cutting grass have not been paid since they started working almost three months ago,” he said.
In the video that is circulating on social media, one of the cleaners said they were not going to return to work until they had been told when they would be paid.
A school principal in Durban, who asked not to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media, said the workers at his school had also not been paid.
“The government asked that young people be employed and now they are messing them around.”
Thirona Moodley, provincial chief executive for the National Teachers’ Organisation of SA, said it was aware that screeners had not been paid.
“We are concerned with the department’s failure to pay screeners. This is a serious breach of contract. Naptosa is engaging with the department in this respect.”
Public Works spokesperson Mbulelo Baloyi said some of the workers had been paid.
“One of the problems we are facing is that the time sheets that the staff are supposed to submit have not been submitted, which makes it impossible for the staff in our salary unit to process payments.
“Another problem is that some of them were once employed by the Department of Education and have Persal numbers which makes it difficult when we try to register them in the system as we need a Persal number,” he said.
Education spokesperson Sihle Mlotshwa said the department was only aware of interruptions at Magutshwa High.
“It is not accurate to say many schools are affected but we will get a detailed report today.”
The Mercury