ACTIONSA has assured workers that, contrary to reports, it has not abandoned the policy of insourcing of security guards and cleaners in the Tshwane metro but simply wanted to ensure that all the checks and balances have been met first.
The assurance by the party came after it received a backlash after it did not support a motion proposed by the EFF during the city’s council meeting last month.
In 2018, the metro resolved to employ the 4 000 guards directly. However, to date only phase 1 has been effected, resulting in the employment of 1 302 guards.
After numerous protests, the metro put the project back on the agenda for a vote during a council meeting in March. However, the decision to revive the project was allegedly supported by only the ANC and EFF.
ActionSA’s Tshepiso Modiba said reports that the party had back-tracked on supporting the motion despite having given assurances were untrue.
According to Modiba, the party had only voted against the urgency of the motion, and not the resumption of the insourcing itself. This was due to the fact that ActionSA and other political parties, including the DA, were already working on a feasibility study to determine whether insourcing was possible in the City of Tshwane.
Modiba explained that in the previous term prior to the 2021 Local Government Elections, a feasibility study was conducted to determine the possibility of insourcing. However, the EFF, DA, ANC and other parties in the council at the time rescinded that decision.
As a result, ActionSA said there was a need to restart the process.
“Currently, as a coalition government, through our partners we proposed that there should be a feasibility study done to determine whether insourcing was possible for both security guards and cleaners. Not that we are against the insourcing of workers.
“Ours was to inform workers that there was this study we expect from the city manager’s office come the April 30 deadline.
“But we want workers to know that, as Action SA, we have not abandoned insourcing. It is our policy, our values and principles and we have no plans to abandon it.”
The Star