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Woensdag, 4 September 2019 | Tel: 021 910 6500 | e-pos: nuus@tygerburger.co.za
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FIREMEN DEMAND OVERTIME PAYMENT: UNION WITHDRAWS
The wonders of science ...
Crisis with firemen may lurk ESMÉ ERASMUS @erasmusesme
A
crisis in firefighting in the City of Cape Town is lurking if firefighters affiliated to the trade union South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), execute their threat to work only office hours from 1 October. In a letter to the City, dated 28 August, MacGregor Erasmus Attorneys informed the City, on behalf of Samwu, that all its members will only work strict 40-hour shifts according to their employment contracts, effectively from 1 October – thus normal office hours from 07:30 to 16:00. Firefighters work 80 hours overtime per month, as they need to be on standby in 24-hour shifts at the fire brigade after hours, over weekends and on public holidays. The City has remunerated these workers for the additional 80 hours by paying them an allowance of 22.8% of their salary in the past about 10 years. With about 60% of firefighters in the City members of Samwu and 40% of another trade union, it will affect more than half of the fire department’s operational workforce. According to the letter, the firefighters have continued to work 240 hours overtime per month in good faith and in the interest of service delivery, despite the absence of a collective agreement. “Samwu has on numerous occasions requested that their members get paid for the additional 80 hours they work per month in
accordance with the provisions of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA) or the City’s own overtime policies. “Samwu’s members have decided that they will no longer work these excessive hours without being paid for it lawfully ...,” according to the letter. The City has been given a month to make the necessary arrangements, stated the letter. This letter came after Samwu withdrew from negotiations for a fire services collective agreement in November last year. According to Archie Hearne, a Samwu organisor in Cape Town, the 22.8% allowance for overtime has been in place since 2012. However, at other municipalities firefighters are paid a much higher allowance – up to 80% for instance at the Polokwane municipality, he said. “We have engaged with the City to propose new conditions and better working conditions, but nothing has materialised. “All stood still since 2012, until last year when a deadlock was reached and we have withdrawn from negotiations,” he said. According to Hearne, they have asked for an increase in the overtime rate from 22.8% to 72%. They were offered a 30% overtime rate last year, but rejected it, he said to TygerBurger. From information TygerBurger obtained anonymously, it seemed that a firefighter (40) with 20 years service earns R22 052 per month in Cape Town. V To page 4.
“Firefighters work 80 hours overtime per month”
OUR IT’S HDAY T R I B
Émile Hartzenberg from Durbanville is mixing a glittery oobleck, a non-Newtonion fluid which one can play with, during a science pamper party held in Pinehurst in Durbanville to promote science among girls. A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid of which the viscosity is variable based on applied force – the most common everyday example being cornstarch dissolved in water. The name “oobleck” is derived from the Dr Seuss book “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”. See article and more photo’s on page 6. PHOTO: NICKEY BOTHMA PHOTOGRAPHY
FREE hearing screenings offered
5–13 SEPTEMBER
(BOOKINGS ESSENTIAL)
5 reasons to take your hearing health seriously TRACY-ANN MORRIS, AUDIOLOGIST
Your hearing is connected to your health and well-being in ways you might not realise... Hearing loss is a hidden disability; while not obvious to the outside observer, it often manifests itself in psychological, emotional and physical health problems, And since hearing loss is usually gradual and progressive, worsening over time, it tends to be minimized or ignored by those who have it. Unfortunately, the average time that elapses prior to seeing treatment is 7-10 years. These top five health risks associated with hearing loss are important reasons to take your hearing health seriously:
1. COGNITIVE DECLINE
2. MENTAL HEALTH
3. HEART CONDITIONS
4. PERSONAL SAFETY
5. MAINTAINING BALANCE
Studies show a strong link
Many individuals with untreated hearing loss experience feelings of embarrassment and frustration. A person who can’t hear well might stop socializing with friends or participating in activities that they used to enjoy. That social isolation often leads to feelings of loneliness and depression.
The hearing system and the cardiovascular system are inexorably linked. As such, hearing loss has been linked to an increased risk of conditions such as heart disease.
It is difficult enough to hear approaching cars, the beeps of a truck in reverse or the shouts of pedestrians and cyclists among the sounds of urban life. Add in hearing loss and you are engaging in risk every time you leave the house. It is vital to be able to hear what is going on around you when you are on the streets, whether as a driver or pedestrian. Diminished hearing loss causes danger not only for you, but for those around you.
Even a mild hearing loss triples the risk of an accidental fall among the elderly!
between hearing loss and cognitive decline, specifically dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Research has found that in individuals with hearing loss, the brain’s ability to process sound is significantly compromised.
Tracy-ann Morris is a registered Audiologist and owner of MY HEARING. DURBANVILLE: Graandendal Shopping Centre, cnr Wellington and Brackenfell Blvd. www.my-hearing.co.za | info@my-hearing.co.za | TEL: 084 264 0000
Take action now! Call MY HEARING on
084 264 0000
to book your free hearing screening.