CCMA dismisses traffic cops' bid to scrap appointment of senior inspectors

File picture: Sizwe Ndingane

File picture: Sizwe Ndingane

Published Jun 4, 2019

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Cape Town - The Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has dismissed a bid by members of the National Traffic Police to overturn the appointment of senior inspectors by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).

Eighteen traffic officers hauled their employer to the CCMA for unfair discrimination after it hired new officers and paid them higher salaries. The 18 officers demanded the same salaries as the new appointees, claiming they were unfairly denied opportunities to apply for the new posts.

They alleged that about 50 people were appointed by the RTMC on June 15, 2015, for inspector traffic officer positions on a higher salary scale than that of traffic officers - and that positions that had been advertised were similar to the ones they occupy.

RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said members had challenged the appointment of senior inspectors on the basis that the appointment was procedurally unfair and the advertisement calling for applications for the positions was misleading because it failed to stipulate that it was aimed at the recruitment of senior inspectors.

Zwane said the appointment of senior inspectors was made in 2015 following a recruitment process that started in the preceding year. "In an arbitration award handed down last week, the CCMA commissioner said, the case of the applicants was rather opportunistic".

Quoting the CCMA commissioner, Zwane said: "I find that there is no evidence that the applicants were subjected to an unfair labour practise as described in section 186 (2)(a) of the Labour Relations Act and therefore the applicant’s claim before the CCMA must fail".

Zwane said the commissioner found that none of the applicants met the minimum requirement set in the advertisement of having successfully completed at least either the examiner of vehicles or the examiner of driver’s licence programme.

"The commissioner also found that failure to explicitly state in the heading of the advert that the recruitment was aimed at senior inspectors does not constitute an unfair labour practice," Zwane said.

He said the department welcomed the decision of the CCMA and hope that the matter will be laid to rest. "The Corporation is committed to fair and transparent labour practices and will always ensure that its recruitment practices are in line the Labour Relations Act," he said.

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Cape Argus

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