Private sector security unions took their campaign to force companies to adhere to a Main Collective Agreement over health benefits for workers to Kimberley in the Northern Cape this week.
On Wednesday members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), the Abanqobi Workers Union (AWU), and the Kungwini Amalgamated Workers Union (KAWU) marched in unison to protest the ongoing theft of millions of rands from the salaries of lowly paid security officers.
According to the Main Collective Agreement (MCA) of the National Bargaining Council for the Private Security Sector signed in March 2021 companies are supposed to pay contributions towards a health benefits plan to Affinity Health.
However security companies which also do business with government, have come under fire for failing to offer medical benefits despite deducting millions from employees’ salaries (NBCPSS).
“We have issues that affect our members. We are informed by our members who are your employees, that you do not comply with the MCA, and we call upon you to address this. We are told that you collect money from the salaries of the employees but do not pay it over to the relevant institution,” Frederick Mabasa, NUMSA National Security Coordinator said while handing over a memorandum of grievances and demands to Dries Oelofse, regional manager at Defensor Electronic Security.
“This is not an issue within my jurisdiction to solve, but I will send it and delegate it to the right people so that it can be discussed and feedback can be given to you,” said Oelofse in response.
The unions have identified top offenders in the Northern Cape when it comes to denying the poorly paid security officers the healthcare benefits as Zaks Security, Bafazi Security and Sinqobile Equestrian Security Service.
They accuse the trio of failing to relay healthcare insurance subscription to the healthcare service provider, Affinity Health, in accordance with the MCA. In this way, these non-compliant businesses deny employees health insurance by keeping the money that should be transferred to the service provider as profits and bonuses for opportunistic senior managers and bosses.
“We are also doing this because both the bargaining council and the department of labour lack the capacity to enforce our current agreement, so through this mobilisation, we think that, those in authority will soon respond to our demands,” said Andile Zethu, NUMSA’s regional secretary in the Free State and Northern Cape.
Zethu added that if the demands are not met there would be endless rolling mass action and that the unions would also employ other means to make sure that the complaints of the workers receive attention.
“They need to pay us more, we are struggling, and they don’t seem to take us seriously. We work for them every day, and when we ask for these simple things, they tell us that they are discussing it or that they will address it, but they never do. They just use us but can’t even take care of us, or give us the basics that we need to continue doing the job,” said a worker who did not want to be named.
The NBCPSS approved a health insurance benefits scheme in March 2021, but employers in the Private Security Sector have been accused of docking pay, not following through on provident fund benefits, and failing to provide minimum wage and overtime pay when due. The MCA requires employers to register workers with the Private Security Sector Provident Fund and for health insurance with the designated health insurance service provider.
It also requires that the employers pay workers no less than the agreed minimum wage, and pay overtime, national key points allowance and night shift Allowance when due.
According to the Labour Relations Act of 1995, to which these security firms are subject to, the Main Collective Agreement (MCA) of the Bargaining Council is enforceable against all employers and employees in the private security sector.
In their memorandum of demands handed over to Zaks Security the unions demanded among other things that the company pay back all the money it was supposed to deduct from their security officers for healthcare benefits and a provident fund.
They also demanded that the companies register security officers for health insurance and with Affinity Health to ensure workers receive their healthcare benefits as per the MCA.
The unions are also demanding that all security officers be registered with the Private Security Sector Provident Fund to protect their lives and their families from loss of income.
In the memo the unions also demanded that Zaks Security must give notice to the government to terminate their contracts and no longer bid on government tenders until they comply with the Main Collective Agreement and the Republic’s laws.
The unions are appealing to law enforcement agencies such as the Hawks to investigate and arrest the directors of Zaks Security and that the FCSA, PSIRA, and CMS must continue to investigate these companies and bring them to justice. – koena@mukurukuru.co.za
