Last Thursday, KwaTsaDuza Times received a tip off that employees at Mpact Brakpan Corrugated Plant are allegedly being forced to take annual leave due to the extension of the national lockdown announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on 10 April.
At midnight on 26 March, South Africans woke up to a 21-day national lockdown, which meant that daily living was halted while the fight against the coronavirus virus continued. Many businesses had to close for the duration of the lockdown except for those that offer essential services.
A list of the type of businesses that could continue operations was published on the government website.
Mpact is considered an essential service provider, which meant production would go on as normal for them, too.
But seven days before the end of the 21-day lockdown, the president announced its extension by two more weeks, which meant the controlled movement of people would now end on 30 April.
Mpact employees say that their company's management announced the closure of the non-essential production process and kept the essential production plants open, which meant some employees would have to stay at home for the remainder of the lockdown. It is also alleged that management proceeded to order employees to take annual leave or be placed on it automatically if they refused.
Penny Ntuli, Group Communications Manager at Mpact Brakpan Corrugated Plant, responded to these allegations.
"Employees were consulted during a meeting which was held on 27 March. A revised work schedule was prepared which stipulated employees’ working days and their days off. It was explained that during the limited periods employees are not required to work, they have the option to [either] take annual leave for the period during which they are not required to be at work, or claim from the UIF(Unemployment Insurance Fund) in respect of the period that they were not required to work."
A video was posted on social media where a man who is alleged to be a manager is heard saying, "No Human Rights and Basic Conditions of Employment Act are applicable during this pandemic period.
But Ntuli says the company respects their employees' human rights.
"Mpact is committed to respecting and promoting human rights and has instituted an investigation into the matter.”
Employers are expected to either ask their employees to take leave and then pay them their full salaries or assist employees with claiming from the the COVID-19 Temporary Employee/Employer Relief Scheme (TERS) for loss of wages.
Employees and employers who do not contribute to the UIF cannot receive payment from this fund.
Cover image: www.inceconnect.co.za
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