Beier Envirotec allegedly retrenched eight employees for raising concerns about the working conditions. The company supplies automotive filter bags to Eskom.
Johannesburg - One of Eskom's suppliers Beier Envirotec is embroiled in an unfair labour practice row following the sacking of some of its employees.
This is after the company allegedly retrenched eight employees for raising concerns about the working conditions. Beier Envirotec is a subsidiary of the Beier Group. The company supplies automotive filter bags to Eskom.
The workers said they were not happy with how the company had treated them, saying Beier Envirotec refused to register and hire them permanently. They said they had been working under contracts for years.
They were served with letters of retrenchment on October 26, 2022. Their fate was sealed this week following a meeting with management.
“We had a number of meetings with the management but the situation remained unresolved. The only thing they tried was to change our minds, manipulating and threatening us,” said the employees.
The case is now before the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA). The employees said they had also made a plea to labour union SACTWU and the National Textile Bargaining Council (NTBC) to intervene to no avail.
“We have tried to challenge the situation with other colleagues regarding a matter of basic conditions of employment. But we have been threatened, suspended, and retrenched, ” said the employees.
The workers said the reason for their retrenchment was that the company did not want to register and hire them permanently. They said they also had to work long hours without pay.
“We have fought this till the dead end. So many people got bribed to eliminate our voices. The textile bargaining council, SACTWU, and CCMA failed us. There is a lot of corruption happening, and this is because the company is owned and run by powerful and corrupt bosses,” the workers alleged.
They said only black workers were subjected to these difficult working conditions, saying white employees were placed in higher positions.
“This happens in the plant department where the majority are black people. White people are treated differently because they are placed in higher positions.”
The Beier Group and the NTBC did not respond to questions while SACTWU general-secretary Andre Kriel, said he would attend to the query as soon as possible, but failed to revert to the Sunday Independent. The Eskom media desk requested a deadline extension until Monday.