KNYSNA NEWS - Noble Management Facilities (NFM), the new owner of Woodmill Lane Shopping Centre, has retrenched 18 cleaning staff members as of 30 June, leaving most of them effectively jobless after working at the centre for decades.

Out of the 18, only eight clearners were offered re-employment and it is said the rest could apply to work for the newly appointed Superclean. For this reason, Knysna-Plett Herald agreed to keep their identities anonymous.

NFM says consultations were held with the affected employees in an effort to seek cost-saving alternatives to retrenchment, none of which proved feasible.

'Apparently they can't afford us'
The employees dispute this and say NFM never showed interest in getting to know them or keeping them on board. One cleaner who worked for the centre for more than a decade, said, "When they bought the company in December last year they bought it with our contracts. They never came to meet us or anything like that. In March when we didn't receive our annual increases we complained and that is why they came in the second week of May to meet us, only for them to come back again on 2 June to give us retrenchment notices, because apparently, they can't afford us."

The single mother is terrified of not being able to provide for her children and grandchildren.

'Like everyone, we have a budget'
Another who has worked for the centre for more than 10 years said, "At my age, who is going to employ me? We have children, responsibilities and accounts that we are committed to."

Another worker said, "This doesn't affect just us, but our children and their future. Like everyone else, we have a budget in place."

When approached for comment, NFM regional manager Zani Bekker said, "On 15 June during a second consultation between the affected employees, NFM and our labour consultant, the employees were informed that they are being retrenched."

Retrenchment 'procedurally ethic'
Bekker added that the last working day for these employees was 30 June but that they received full wages until 13 July, as well as severance packages including one week's wages for every year they had worked at the centre.

"The cleaning staff service for Woodmill Lane is now contracted to an independent contractor as part of our turnaround and upgrading strategy for Woodmill Lane.

Bekker said they are satisfied that the retrenchments were done in a lawful, ethical and procedurally fair manner.

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