The Department of Water and Sanitation has pushed back against claims that it retrenched more than 170 workers working on a canal rehabilitation project in Standerton, Mpumalanga.

Instead, it clarified that the workers were contract employees whose project had been temporarily suspended, and had not been permanently retrenched.

Department clarifies nature of worker exits

The department confirmed on Tuesday that 178 workers are exiting the Flakfontein Canal rehabilitation project, but stressed that these workers were never permanent employees.

It set the record straight after the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) claimed that more than 170 workers had been retrenched.

Director-General of Water and Sanitation, Dr Sean Phillips, said the workers had been hired on a contract basis specifically for the duration of the project, which involved the rehabilitation of an irrigation canal also used to supply water to major industrial users, including Eskom and Sasol.

Phillips said the project had been suspended and not entirely scrapped.

“The department is discontinuing the project because the closure of the canal for the rehabilitation work has been affecting the reliable supply of water to the industrial users,” said Phillips.

He was clear that the door remains open for the affected workers.

“The project might be started again in future once alternative reliable supply arrangements have been put in place for the industrial users, in which case the affected workers will again be offered project-based contracts.”

Department commits to honouring all worker obligations

Despite the suspension, the department has given assurances that all workers will be fully compensated for their time on the project.

Phillips said no worker would leave without receiving everything owed to them.

“The department will ensure that all its contractual and legal obligations are fulfilled and that the project-based workers will be paid all remuneration and benefits due to them,” he said.

Union alleges mismanagement, stages Standerton picket

The department’s clarification comes after Nehawu sparked the dispute after claiming that the 178 workers had been handed retrenchment letters earlier this month.

On Monday, members organised pickets outside the department’s Standerton offices in response, in a bid to halt the process.

According to reports, the union’s Mpumalanga provincial secretary, Welcome Mnisi, alleged that the real reason behind the move had nothing to do with operational concerns, but pointed instead to how project funds had been handled.

“The main reason for the retrenchments was the mismanagement of funds allocated to the project,” Mnisi alleged.

Mnisi further argued that the project was not even halfway complete to warrant its shutdown.

“The project itself, which is in phase two, started in January 2015. There was a revised working progress, which was meant to end in December 2028. Currently, the actual progress achieved since January 2015 to date is 18%. This means that there’s still more work to be done in the department, because the life span of the project is not yet complete.”