Retrenched workers at the VBS Mutual Bank say they are used as scapegoats for other people’s misdeeds. About a hundred workers received notices of retrenchment on Friday.
On Tuesday, they received revised notices, which include the 13th cheque.
The workers will meet in Thohoyandou in Limpopo, with some VBS executives from Gauteng to discuss their retrenchment benefits.
They say, for now, they will get a week’s salary for each year spent at the bank, a 13th cheque, and half their salaries for the month of October.
Mervis Netshiombo worked for VBS for 27 years and a patient on chronic medication, who needs to consult the doctor every three month.
She says life will be difficult without a job. Netshiombo and other workers have not yet signed the revised offer.
They say severance package they are going to get is too little.
Denga Tshitimbi worked as a Sales Consultant for VBS for less than a year. He says the workers were supposed to at least been given a R100-thousand each, as a token of appreciation for assisting VBS to make hundreds of millions of rand.
“So, the difference is only the 13th cheque. So, we are not happy at all. We thought maybe today there will be lots of changes.”
Tshitimbi is also not happy to that the bank is punishing the employees, instead of the culprits, who allegedly collapsed the bank.
“It’s frustrating! Now, I am confused. I don’t know next month how are we going to survive. I need to pay lots of my bills.”
Also 27-year-old Rudzani Nekhumbe worked as a teller at the bank. She too says the employees are punished for other people’s sins.
“We participated in growing the bank because we were working everyday. So, we thought we were bringing new business. We feel we are being used as scapegoat.”
Nekhumbe says the R37 000 and she is going to get as severance package is not enough, as she still has a family to support.
VBS Human Resource executives and officials from the office of the curator are expected to meet with the workers on Thursday.
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