By ‘Majirata Latela
Unitrans Lesotho (Pty) Ltd workers today temporarily downed tools as they demand a pay rise of 50 percent.
The workers who were seen today standing in a group just outside their offices said they have negotiated and voiced their grievances for a long time now and the only way to show the “employer how serious they are is to down tools.”
One of the employees who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal said the employer has even threatened to dismiss them from work “if they are not willing to take the six percent he is offering them.”
He said they were prepared not to accept any increment below 20 percent for which they are willing to negotiate with their employer.
“In October last year, our salaries were cut for what the employer said was economic reasons. We do not believe that this company’s income was affected by Covid-19 because we have been working throughout lockdown because we are regarded as essential workers.
“We also demand compensation as essential workers for risking our lives during this pandemic, going from one country to another despite the spike of Covid-19 cases in those countries.
“We work very long hours but the employer does not even pay us for the overtime hours that we put in every day. This company should comply with Lesotho’s labour laws and policies when it comes to overtime hours,” he said.
Another employee also showed that if the employer is not considering the 20 percent rise then they should base themselves on the minimum wage hike of 14 percent which was recently gazetted by government.
