Kalahari Autoforce drivers downed tools on Monday and abandoned their posts at the Markman-based manganese transporter.
The workers face an ultimatum of either being unemployed or transferred to a labour management company.
In a letter provided to the striking workers with a company letterhead, dated August 6, they were given 24 hours to sign new contracts, transfer or get terminated.
The strike comes eight months after Kalahari tried to commence with retrenchments in December.
On Monday, a group of drivers with the Tirisano Transport and Service Workers Union picketed outside the facility, levelling several allegations against the company including unfair labour practices and failure to pay provident fund contributions.
Company directors Johan Kruger and Ben Kruger were sent WhatsApp messages but did not reply.
In a follow-up call later, Johan denied having any ties to Kalahari.
Asked about the picket and the allegations made by the employees, Johan denied knowing anything about the manganese company.
“I am not Kruger. I am Johan but not Kruger,” he said.
The same man has been reached by The Herald on the same number and cited as manganese ore handler and Kalahari Autoforce co-owner.
Tirisano regional secretary Victor Langa accused Kalahari of attempting to retrench its members outside legal processes.
“On Friday, we met and told them not to fire our people or threaten them. They flat-out refused and are hell-bent on doing what they want.
“The company believes in a slavery approach; even the temporary toilet facilities allocated to us for the strike are so dirty.
“One does not understand how they can be expected to be fit for use,” Langa said.
He said the union had been at loggerheads with Kalahari for months over several alleged failures to comply with the requirements of the National Bargaining Council for Road Freight and the logistics industry.
These include allegedly not paying workers a council rate for drivers driving abnormal vehicles, and not paying the provident fund share and health insurance levies to the council.
He said they also wanted the workers already employed by the company to get first preference when it hired long-haul drivers.
“Since the workers brought the union to try to resolve these issues, there was instead an illegal attempt to retrench workers with a process outside a Section 189A overseen by the CCMA,” he said.
On August 6, the company sent a memo to workers stating that they had 24 hours to transfer to a labour management company or their employment would be terminated.
A copy of the notice was provided to The Herald.
“Please note that all permanent short-haul drivers of Kalahari Autoforce have been offered the opportunity to transfer to long-haul operations under the Section 197 process, to the new company, as outlined in the official notices previously issued.
“If you wish to remain in short haul, you will need to resign and reapply for a position at Ultimo Staffing Solutions.
“We will gladly provide a referral letter to support your application and improve your chances of securing a position with them.
“Should we not receive a response from you within the next 24 hours, your silence will be regarded as a voluntary resignation,” the letter issued to staffers read.
Langa said while they were not opposed to “labour brokers”, a Section 197 under which the company was attempting to transfer the workers required that they be employed under the same conditions.
“They cannot transfer workers to brokers which are not even registered with the bargaining council, so even this entire process is flawed,” he said.
No-one responded at the Kalahari offices in Buick Street, despite the reception door being open.
Meanwhile, Ben Kruger’s number could not be reached.
Several phone calls were also made to the Kalahari landline to no avail.
Ultimo Staffing Solutions said: “What we can say is that Ultimo is not a broker but a management company, and all employees in our service are permanently employed.”
The Herald
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