South Africa: New Call Centre to assist temporary workers opened
Shout-Africa News – The trade union UASA’s brand new call centre to assist temporary workers opened its doors today, 3 January 2011.
Temporary workers, including non-UASA members, can call in and request information regarding their contracts and legal rights. The service is free.
Leon Grobler, Chief Operations Officer of UASA, says the ideal would be to ensure a permanent job for all workers. “The reality is, however, that we live in a real world where there will probably always be a need for temporary workers.”
Grobler says the establishment of the call centre is a unique concept, dedicated to the needs of the temporary worker, and is a first in the world.
“It provides UASA with a voice on behalf of temporary workers. What this means in concrete terms, is that temporary workers can call in and request information regarding their contracts and legal rights. A free service will be provided to all temporary workers, whether they are UASA members or not.”
Grobler, who has been at the forefront of UASA’s initiative to create a space for the needs of those employed through temporary employment services (TES), has done extensive research both locally and abroad with regards to the protection of temporary workers.
“We expect this to be of major help to the approximately half a million employees who get employment through labour brokers, instead of demanding the banning of all labour brokers which could see all these workers without employment”, says Grobler.
Grobler says UASA’s intervention regarding temporary workers and labour brokers last year, which inter alia led the union to present a position paper to Cabinet on the issue of TES, culminated in a memorandum of agreement which has been reached between UASA and the
Confederation of Associations in the Private Employment Sector (CAPES), with the objective of ensuring the provision of decent work while emphasising the importance of social protection.
“The memorandum of agreement provides a model for self-regulation and self-monitoring, as well as problem solving and advice through a call centre. The ultimate aim is to have an own and unique dispute-resolution model for the temporary workers of South Africa,” Grobler says.
Temporary workers in need of advice regarding their unique work related needs may call Vusi Mshinini at 011 472 3600 or simply sms “UASA TES” to 32545 and UASA will return the call. More information is also available on our website: www.uasa.org.za
For further enquiries or to set up a personal interview, contactLeon Grobler at 082 455 1736.
Issued by: Helen Ueckermann
082 603 3335
helen.ueck@gmail.com
On behalf of trade union UASA
