The disgruntled sub-contractors claimed that they were fired after raising concerns with the ANC Regional Office.
SUB-CONTRACTORS working on the Lerato Park flats, which have been under construction for the past 18 months, brought work at the site to a halt on Monday morning.
The group of sub-contractors threatened to stop all work on the project, claiming that they were unlawfully fired after alerting the ANC regional office to their plight.
The unhappy contractors, many of whom are women, also demanded the removal of the Labour Desk Office and Community Liaison Officer, while fingers were also pointed at the PR Ward Councillor, who they accused of failing to address their grievances.
The workers were further aggrieved on Monday morning when a scheduled meeting with the Department of Cooperative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) was postponed until Tuesday.
According to the protesters, the ANC regional office had instructed the councillor to address their grievances two weeks ago but, according to them, he had failed to do so.
They added that a day after their meeting with the ANC regional office, they were fired. “Whenever someone speaks up, they are immediately replaced,” the workers stated.
ANC Regional Secretary, Wende Marekwa, confirmed that he had met with the sub-contractors, adding that many substantive issues had been raised during the meeting.
He said it had been agreed that all subcontractors working on the flats would be phased in at different times in order to give everyone who applied to work on the site an equal chance.
“There are many people who applied but do not have the necessary skills and were given the opportunity to receive formal training. Disabled people will also be afforded an opportunity to work,” said Marekwa.
He said the PR Ward Councillor was expected to present a full report on developments at the construction site in two weeks’ time.
Coghsta spokesperson, Xhanti Teki was approached for comment but had not responded by Monday afternoon.
