01/07/2024
Publication: CWAO
Author: Irene Sibanyoni with Siza Mlambo
Irene Sibanyoni speaks to Siza Mlambo about how he fought a problem at work and won
In 2019, exploitation occurred in Boksburg. It started when we were deployed on the site of the client’s company by Workforce. We were two forklift operators, where we got assessed for the job first. I passed and the other person failed but the supervisor used my assessment results to hire the one who failed because that worker was his relative.
He mistakenly called my number, thinking he was calling his relative. He explained that the relative has passed the assessment and had to come and start to work on Monday.
That’s when I realized that there was something fishy because he called me by his relative’s name. So I decided to go to the client’s company (Distell) and when the supervisor came to me, I asked for my assessment results. But he refused to show me the results.
Then I asked the security guy to call the operational manager. When he came, I explained to him what happened. Then he called the supervisor and asked for the results. He found out that the other guy failed but got the job because he was his relative.
Then the operational manager told him to sort out the mess because he was not going to pay the other guy. So the other guy left and I got the job and signed the contract.
After that I realized that there is a lot I had to learn and to stand up for my rights. That is where the love of activism started. I heard about Simunye Workers’ Forum and decided to join and learn my rights as a worker.
