Solidarity members ready for protest action at Denel
Lynne Brown shows unwillingness to act against Denel gang
Lynne Brown, the Minister of Public Enterprises, this week delivered a blow to the workers at Denel by refusing to view in a serious light the numerous allegations against the Group Chief Executive Officer, the Group Chief Financial Officer and the Chairperson of the Board, and simply suggested in a letter to Solidarity that discussions with the officials concerned be continued.
This was in spite of the fact that serious allegations of financial mismanagement and misrepresentations have been made against the three persons, as explained by Solidarity in an urgent letter to the Minister last weekend. The letter was urgent because of the fact that possible retrenchments affecting up to 700 employees would take place at this state-owned company because of the mismanagement. Solidarity also announced that its members are ready to launch a protest action.
According to Deon Reyneke, Deputy General Secretary of Solidarity, the union argued, in a follow-up letter forwarded to Minister Brown yesterday afternoon, that her proposal to continue discussions with the officials was irresponsible. “The employees who divulged this information to Solidarity will be put in an extremely vulnerable position if the implicated officials are not suspended at least until an investigation has been carried out,” Reyneke explained.
Reyneke suggested that Brown should refrain from making indifferent comments on the obvious management problems at the company, something that is touched on in the treasury’s budget documents stating that the treasury would also have to become involved at Denel in order to address management problems.
“Solidarity therefore urged the minister to amend her vague solutions to the obvious problems at Denel and to use the authority of her office to address these problems,” Reyneke said.
Read Solidarity’s follow-up letter to minister Brown, click here.
Read Solidarity’s initial letter to minister Brown, click here.
Statement issued by Deon Reyneke, Deputy General Secretary: Solidarity, 23 February 2018
