‘EFF to improve lives of marginalised workers’
EFF deputy president Floyd Shivambu told a gathering of private sector and municipal security guards in Durban yesterday that the party would use any extra seats it gains next year to improve lives of marginalised workers.
Shivambu cited the EFF as being a balance of power in the Joburg and Tshwane metros, where it had won a fight against exploitation of security guards and cleaners.
The guards packed Durban’s Emmanuel Cathedral hall to contribute to the drafting of the EFF election manifesto.
Shivambu said Joburg Mayor Herman Mashaba had succumbed to the EFF’s pressure by agreeing to insource ordinary workers of the municipality.
“We have started to insource all the workers in Johannesburg Municipality, and there is no security guard at the Johannesburg Municipality who is paid less than R7 000.
“There is no security guard at the Johannesburg Municipality who does not have medical aid, provident fund and all the benefits including bonuses,” he said.
He said the EFF had withdrawn its motion of no confidence against Tshwane Mayor Solly Msimanga after he had agreed to terminate the outsourcing of security guards. “If you know someone (who) works in the city of Johannesburg as a security guard and who had been employed by a middleman or by a contractor, you must ask them about the conditions now.”
He said the party had started a countrywide campaign to collect the views of marginalised workers for its manifesto. On Saturday he met employees of the tourism industry in Mpumalanga, and later mineworkers in Rustenburg.
He said the EFF would put pressure on the government to pass pro-worker policies.
Although the Durban meeting was meant for security guards, nurses also raised concerns about being understaffed and underpaid while working beyond the normal hours.