Manager orders females to wear tight pants - worker
– One of the textile firms in Matsapha is being accused of ill-treating some of its employees with what is viewed as harsh working conditions.
MATSAPHA
One of the workers, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said every duty they are assigned for is done with force.
“The top management does not want us to wear our own clothing but at the same time, they do not give us the uniform,” the employee said.
She said the firm used to give them dresses that were very short, but of late, the manager has been ordering the female workers to wear tight pants.
“They do not care whether you are a widow or wife but the instruction is that the security guards should not allow entry to those who are not in their tight pants,” she said.
“The boss made it clear that without the tight pants, you are not allowed to work here.”
Adding, the employee alleged that they were forbidden from wearing make-up or push-ins (shoes) as the requirement is to wear sneakers.
“They do not want you to wear anything sleeveless or short pants along with certain types of hair and make-up. Long nails are also not allowed and I find it difficult to understand why we are not allowed to wear our clothes, especially because they are not providing us with the proper uniform,” the employee complained.
“They want us to wear leggings or tight pants and they do not even care how old we are. Some of my colleagues come from marital homes but this is not respected.”
The employee complained that they were not allowed to spend more than five minutes in the toilet. She said the toilets were a distance away from their work station.
alleging
She said she was paid E2 200 per month, alleging that the salary was actually a far cry from the prizes the company was making from selling the clothes.
“Sales from one line of clothing is enough to pay salaries for five people. In an hour, we are supposed to produce 150 T-shirts on the board per person,” she said.
She pointed out that they were not allowed to answer their mobile phones or interact with anybody. She said the company advised them to keep to themselves and concentrate on work.
“All you think about is how to raise money for school fees, food for the children and many other necessities that are not covered by the salary that we get,” she said.
The unhappy employee also alleged that some of her co-workers have four children, which they must take care of with the salaries they were getting from their companies.
“If we can get E3 000 or E3 500, that would be a huge upgrade because we would be able to utilise the money that we are paid effectively,” she said.