Workers subcontracted by Rembu Construction to build a boundary wall at the Mogale City Workshops, gathered at Chamdor to strike and demand payments which were due on the 15th of May. However, there is also money not paid from the previous month.
The Municipality workers were not allowed to go inside the workshop because the subcontractors had burned tyres and blocked the entrance since early morning. Service was delayed for the day. They were adamant that they would not leave until they got paid what was due to them. They complained that they did not have food and have been going to loan sharks to close the gaps caused by the delayed payments.
They also argued that the problem between the municipality and the subcontractor was not their problem. All they wanted was to get paid. “We started the strike because we haven’t received payment from last month. We have been working well, doing what is expected of us but the payments are always overdue. We give them until Monday, if they do not pay, extra measures will be taken.”
It is alleged that Rembu Construction hasn’t received money from the Municipality to pay the subcontractors. Rembu Construction claims that it submitted invoices on the 5th of May, but they haven’t received the money which is why they haven’t paid the workers.
The subcontractors’ leaders Thami and Rendani explained that they have been in talks with Rembu Construction to come to a resolution that will make the workers happy and clear their names as well as avoid drastic measures such as the one witnessed today. “The problem is that when people have to get paid, the payment is delayed by two or three days, but this is the longest they took without paying the workers. It seems as though we as management are eating the worker’s money, and we are also under a lot of pressure,” Thami explained.
Ward 16 councillor, Mr. Jonas Muravha managed to speak to workers to explain the situation and how it would be resolved. He told BAAGI News that he spoke to the parties involved to try and come up with a solution to calm the situation down. “I managed to speak to the project manager of Mogale City and the project manager of Rembu Construction who promised to process the payments today,” he said.