Angry workers accuse company allegedly contracted to PRASA in WC of mistreatment

CAPE TOWN - The Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) has found itself in the middle of a wage dispute between a company reportedly contracted to it and some of the company's contract workers.
 
This after a group of contract workers who were helping to fix the central line between Nyanga and Stock Road train stations claimed they were being mistreated by Diphatse Trading and Projects.
 
The workers said they had not been paid or were paid half of their salaries for October.

They told EWN that they were first employed by Diphatse Trading and Projects in September last year.
 
This was during the time that an intergovernmental project known as Operation Bhekela, was busy relocating families who were living along the railway reserves.
 
About 40 contract workers were employed from the Philippi and Stock Road communities to help with the refurbishment of the train stations.
 
Community liaison officer, Nolukhanyo Sombexe, said that the promise to keep them employed until all station refurbishments from Nyanga to Khayelitsha had been completed was not kept.
 
"The company says it doesn't have money, but we've found out that they are going to work with Khayelitsha people. The Khayelitsha people worked with us here [Nyanga to Stock Road] but we're being left behind."

Sombexe said that this was not the first time that Diphatse Trading and Projects had failed to pay them.
 
She said that last year they signed a three-month contract from September to November but were only paid for one month.
 
"They worked with us for only one month and they disappeared without paying us for October and November."
 
PRASA told EWN that it was looking into the allegations.