Lecturers and other staffers of Educor Group, a company that is responsible for colleges such as Damelin, Lyceum and Intec, have not been paid their salaries for December.
Some of the staffers complained of the same happening in October and November.
One of them said they had been threatened with dismissal if they failed to report for duty this week.
“Things are bad as we not not received our salaries for December. We are being told by a manager at Pretoria City that if we do not report to work, it’s going to be unpaid leave, yet we have not received our December salaries till now.
“Now, we are being threatened by the manager that if we strike, he is going to make sure that we get fired,” she said.
The staff member said some of the employees received their November salaries on December 18 while their December salaries were yet to reflect in their bank accounts.
“We are expected to report to work even though our salaries are still outstanding, on the fear that we will get dismissed,” she said.
Last month, the South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) slammed Educor for its failure to ensure timely payment of salaries after it was reported that employees might spend a black Christmas without their salaries.
In a WhatsApp communication with Saftu, another unpaid staff member wrote: “We had hope that Educor Executives will do the right thing by at least paying us our December salaries. Until to day, Lyceum College has not paid us. We have not received anything and no communique. Please. Can something be done. People are losing their dignity because of this situation.”
This week, an independent contractor who wished to remain anonymous, told The Star that he has not been paid by Damelin for services rendered in spite of sending an invoice more than eight weeks ago.
“I recently read your IOL article on the said topic and wondered if you could assist me in pinpointing me in the right direction to where I can reach relevant authorities who can help me to get payment from Damelin. I worked there as an independent contractor from September 2023. My contract stipulated that payment would be made between 45 to 60 days after invoicing and that time frame has passed,” the contractor said.
Last month, Saftu called on Educor and its subsidiary institutions, including Damelin, to pay workers their salaries for November and December, so that they could give their families and other dependants a good Christmas.
At the time, Saftu general-secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said the union was “utterly disgusted” by Damelin and its sister colleges, Icesa, Lyceum and Central Technical College, for the non-payment of salaries at various campuses across the country.
“This is a kick in the teeth of workers, especially when considering that these employees need the money to meet their household spending obligation for the festive season,” Vavi said.
Yet again, attempts to get comment from Educor have proved unsuccessful in spite of numerous emails and messages to its communication and management team.
The Star