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COSATU protest action : 23 September & 07 October 2020

Rmiblock

Members are advised that the three major trade union federations have called for protest action 23 September in an attempt to have the current 100% loading capacity for public transport reduced to 70%,  as a social distancing measure.

It is possible that some of your employees might be absent on 23 September in support of this call, which will consist mainly of marches and demonstrations. It is not a call to stay away from work. There has also been a call to extend lunch breaks on Fridays from one hour to three hours in an attempt to demonstrate further support for the cause.

The usual practice of ‘No work, No pay’ applies for 23 September, and employees who are absent without permission may also be subject to disciplinary action. The same principles will apply for the proposed extended lunch hours.

The protest action is set to resume on Wednesday 7 October 2020, but that one will be a call to stay away from work. Authorisation for that event has already been authorised by NEDLAC, and is thus classed as  ‘protected’ protest action. Therefore, no disciplinary action can be taken against employees who are absent on that day. The ‘No work, no pay’ rule will still apply, however please note that shift workers might be absent from that shift which has the majority of hours falling on 7 October.  

 Protected actionStay awayNo work, no payDisciplinary action
23 Sep            NoNoYesYes
07 Oct            YesYesYesNo