Employees accuse G4S for not adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols

Employees of cash management company G4S have vowed not to resume work until the company adheres to all health and safety protocols relating to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Over 200 G4S workers at the company’s Crown Mines branch staged a sit-in outside the company premises in Crown Mines in Johannesburg on Tuesday after three of their colleagues died allegedly from COVID-19 related complications.

They are demanding that they all be tested for COVID-19 and want all vehicles including the trucks used to collect and deliver cash and the entire Crown mines building to be disinfected.

South African Transport and Allied Workers Union’s (SATAWU) Praisewell Ntsibande has accused management of not taking workers’ demands seriously.

Ntsibande says, “As we speak, there’s one employee already quarantined and two are in the hospital. So this situation is very serious. The employer is threatening workers saying they are on strike and is going to give them ultimatum.  We are saying these are the issues of health and safety the employer must comply with. The employer went further, insulting the employees that they are the ones going out and bringing the disease. It shows that the employer is arrogant.”

Workers say their efforts to engage management have failed. G4S is yet to respond to a request for comment.

A number of companies have been accused of not complying with COVID-19 regulations since that start of the national lockdown.

SA records 6 945 new COVID-19 cases:

As of 30 June, South Africa’s cumulative number of COVID-19 cases stands at 151 209. This means 6 945 new cases have been detected in the last 24 hours.

The Health Department has reported 128 new COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total to 2 657. Recoveries stand at 73 543, which translates to a recovery rate of 48.6%. More than 1.6 million tests have been carried out.