In this film, women casual workers talk about how they organised to fight for their right to permanent employment. They speak about being sexually harassed by labour brokers, forced to share personal protective equipment (PPE), and being forced to buy lunch for supervisors to get overtime. With the support of the Casual Workers Advice Office, casual women workers in Gauteng have come together as the Simunye Women Workers Forum, which is part of the Simunye Workers Forum.
The Simunye Workers Forum has won its court battle to register a trade union. This follows the dismissal by the Labour Court of an application by the Department of Employment and Labour for leave to appeal against the court’s order to register Simunye.
Simunye is offering a new form of trade union. For example, it doesn’t have a leadership structure with positions such as general secretary, president and deputy president. Instead, a rotating Standing Committee ensures leadership and skills development, gender equality and inclusion in the governance and management of the organisation.
You might also like: our video exploring the realities faced by more than 60,000 Volunteer Food Handlers who prepare and serve meals in schools under the National School Nutrition Programme, through the eyes of Khuli Gumede, a food handler in Gauteng. Food handlers, like casual workers, want their rights. They want to be recognised as employees. They want decent conditions at work.
