Black Impala, Lear staff tense over Ters payments
“All I want is the money owed to me.”
These are the shared sentiments of Black Impala and Lear employees, who claim they are yet to receive UIF payouts from their respective employers.
However, Black Impala owner Lloyd Mthembu said staff at the popular eatery had been misinformed and would receive what was due to them once Temporary Employer Relief Scheme (Ters) funding was paid out.
At Lear Corporation in the Markman Industrial area, irate employees said they would not return to work until they got paid.
More than 200 Lear employees cordoned off the entrance to the manufacturer using burning tyres and rubble yesterday morning, preventing management from leaving or entering the premises.
A 24-year-old employee said she had been working at Black Impala, and contributing towards UIF and a skills levy, for at least two years.
She said she received the shock of her life when the group received a list with registered Black Impala employees’ names from the department of employment and labour.
“From a workforce of more than 90, only nine staff members’ [names allegedly] appeared,” she said.
Employees had deductions of R59.79 for UIF and a skills levy on their payslips each month.
“The last time I got paid was at the end of February and as a result I am two months late on my rent.
“What upsets me the most is how rude and unworried he [Mthembu allegedly] is about our wellbeing,” the 24-year-old said.
The employees said Mthembu had initially told them he would pay everyone for the first 21 days of lockdown — however, he had later sent a message saying the business would not be able to do so as it had not made money.
Another employee said they were understanding of that, but when they started asking about their UIF, Mthembu was not forthcoming.
Employees said they had then consulted someone from the department of employment and labour, who told them how to check their UIF status.
“When I checked my status,
I found that my name appeared and our boss had [allegedly] received a payout on May 1, but he never mentioned this,” she said.
Last week, Mthembu sent a message — as seen in screenshots — saying he had received another payment and would divide the money so that all the employees would get a cut.
“UIF today paid R229,564.65 and the 1st May, they paid R36,247.05.
“That is a total of R265,811.70, which will be revived [sic] among 65 people,” the message read.
“I have decided to split this money equally to all these people I will send a list for.
“I have removed people that worked for Black Impala and were paid in full in April; I have [also] removed people that left Black Impala by the time we went on lockdown,” the message continued.
Mthembu said: “The staff got misinformed, they [were] told they are not registered with the labour department or UIF.
“This [led] the staff to believe that they have been paying UIF contributions and I have not been paying this money to UIF,” he said.
“They have taken these accusations to newspapers as well as to the EFF, and this has caused reputation damage for me as well as the other business that I have.
“As of [Tuesday last week], I have paid 69 employees and 33 employees have still not been paid,” Mthembu said.
He said he would continue to divide the money equally with each UIF Ters payment.
Meanwhile, in Markman, a 46-year-old Lear employee said: “It has been seven weeks now with no pay.
“The company has received payment from UIF for both April and May, yet they have not paid us our money.
“I am sick and tired of having to ask my neighbours for money to buy bread or electricity.”
Another employee said she did not appear on the UIF Ters system.
“At first I thought that maybe the company had not applied, but some of my colleagues told me they could see their payout amount.”
The workers have vowed to keep the company closed until they are paid.
Repeated attempts to get comment from Lear Corporation yesterday were unsuccessful by the time of going to print.