THE National Union of Mineworkers SA (Numsa) has welcomed a decision taken by Putco to stop the retrenchment of more than 200 employees, as initially announced last month.
Putco, a service which operates in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo and has a fleet of 1 400 buses transporting more than 210 000 passengers daily, was planning to issue Section 189 notices to 214 employees.
“We met with the management yesterday where the managing director confirmed that it will not proceed with plans to retrench 214 employees. Furthermore, they confirmed that Job Rotation will stop on the 15th of March 2021if all issues around scheduling of staff are finalised,” said NUMSA general secretary, Irvin Jim.
“As NUMSA we have been vindicated. This is a victory for workers and their families’! We made submissions during the section 189-A consultation to oppose retrenchments, because we felt the job cuts were unnecessary. There is ample evidence that Putco can save millions in revenue, and retain jobs, simply by stopping mismanagement and wastage.”
Jim said the decision taken to withdraw retrenchments is evidence that if companies engage meaningfully with labour during a section 189 process, jobs can be saved.
“Putco is an example of this and we hope that all companies will take heed of this example and engage organised labour in a constructive manner. It is possible to save jobs but it requires all parties to adopt an open mind and a willingness to find solutions. We will continue, as NUMSA, to fight for workers and their families’, and to do everything possible to secure their future,” said Jim.
(SOURCE: INSIDE POLITICS)
