Cops 'prepared' for CT strike

[The_Pumpkin_King]

Cape Town - Police averted a second round of potentially violent labour strife on Monday night, enabling a World Cup match between defending champion Italy and Paraguay to start on schedule and proceed free of security hiccups.

A day after riot police used teargas and rubber bullets to break up a strike by stadium workers in Durban, the national police rushed to prevent any recurrence in Cape Town less than three hours before kickoff. The problem was resolved peacefully this time as authorities succeeded in dispersing a crowd of 500 workers who left their posts.

Still, the lack of a solution to the escalating wage dispute between the stewards and their contractor, Stallion Security Consortium, means that police have now assumed responsibility for security at World Cup stadiums in Cape Town and Durban.

'Unacceptable'

"Although we have respect for workers' rights, we find it unacceptable for them to disrupt match day proceedings and will not hesitate to take action in such instances," said Danny Jordaan, chief executive of the organising committee.

Police spokesperson Colonel Billy Jones said the Cape Town Stadium's grounds were supposed to open up shortly after 17:00, but that 500 security officials congregated on the stadium's second-level terrace in protest.

Employers attempted to negotiate a settlement, but failed, while the queue of fans waiting outside security checkpoints got longer and longer.

"We had to take a decision quickly because we didn't have much time," Jones told The Associated Press. "We told both sides to take their labour dispute out of the stadium."

Jones said the striking security staff heeded police demands to leave peacefully. About 1 500 trainees from the national police were called in to fill the shortfall in manpower at stadium entrances in what was a well-rehearsed contingency plan, he said.

The standoff caused about an hour of delays for arriving fans, Jones said.

But by 18:30 - two hours before kickoff - an AP reporter saw streams of spectators entering the stadium, and Jones said the gates were clear in time for everyone to be seated 15 minutes before kickoff.

News of the strike and the security problems even reached the Italy and Paraguay teams, who played to a 1-1 draw.

"I was told there was a strike," and that the national police had been called in, Italy coach Marcello Lippi said. "For us we felt even more secure in that respect."

"Everything was smooth," Lippi added.

Durban protest

Protesting workers in Durban said they had been turned away from that stadium on Monday after demanding payment under the terms of a wage agreement they said had been breached. The workers said their basic daily pay had been slashed without notice.

At least one protester was hurt in Durban on Sunday night after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse about 400 complaining of underpayment. The violence occurred after Germany beat Australia 4-0 in the city's first World Cup match.

Both Durban and Cape Town are scheduled to host semi-finals. The final is set for July 11 in Soccer City, Johannesburg.

Officials in cities hosting matches on Tuesday said they expected no security problems.

In Rustenburg, where New Zealand and Slovakia kick off at 13:30 local time, police already work alongside stewards who are expected to report for normal duty, North West Province deputy police commissioner William Mpembe said.

Port Elizabeth hosts the match between Ivory Coast and Portugal at 16:00, and police are handling most security work at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, local organising committee media spokesperson Michelle Brown said

http://www.sport24.co.za/Soccer/WorldCup/NationalNews/Cops-prepared-for-CT-strike-20100615

well done to the cops for stepping in

 

[hyperian]

Well done to the SAPS!

 

[nexxus]

Hopefully they look at both sides, Stallion & their striking workers & politely tell them that they had their chance, they blew it & they should now please bugger off, other arrangements have been made.

 

[LazyLion]

I would love to find out how the Security Company won the tender? Did they promise FIFA that they would use certified security personnel and that the charge would be R1500 per person? Then behind the scenes they just hired guys off the street and only paid them R150???

I would not in the least be surprised if this is somebody's fault at the company level... somebody who is pocketing massive amounts of cash!

 

[Sherbang]

Paying R150 for a 6 hour shift is ridiculous, no wonder this world cup is going to be FIFA's most profitable ever if that's the kind of thing they get away with...
Although, as Garyvdh says, we don't actually know how much they are paying the security company...
I understand the guys must be pissed off though - if they were promised R1500 a shift and only got R150 I'm not surprised they tried a last minute strike...

 

[AfricanTech]

I would love to find out how the Security Company won the tender? Did they promise FIFA that they would use certified security personnel and that the charge would be R1500 per person? Then behind the scenes they just hired guys off the street and only paid them R150???

I would not in the least be surprised if this is somebody's fault at the company level... somebody who is pocketing massive amounts of cash!

I would not be surprised either - the R150 is suspiciously close (slightly higher) than the going rate for a daily pickup labourer on the side of the road. Security Company probably figured that it would be an easy way to make some super profits - provide 3 days "training", no transport or food = big fat profits!

I hope one of the newspapers pursues the story so that we hear the whole truth.

These greedy profiteers also don't realise how they open the door to corruption - after all, if the guard is paid R150, do you think s/he will hesitate to look the other way if someone slips them a R200.

 

[LazyLion]

Disgruntled Durban WC guards fired, paid off

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click_id=2871&art_id=nw20100615150253908C842646

About two thousand disgruntled security guards, watched closely by riot police, handed in their uniforms and received their pay outside Moses Mabhida stadium on Tuesday, two days after violent scenes at the World Cup venue.

Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of protesting guards, unhappy at the level of pay they were being given, after Germany's victory over Australia on Sunday.

On Tuesday, security staff were marshalled by riot police as they queued up to hand in their World Cup accreditations and orange jackets to Stallion Security officials, receiving small brown envelopes containing a day's pay in return.

One man waved the envelope with R205 rand he had received from the Stallion Security Consortium officials at a blue pick-up and shouted "peanuts, peanuts, peanuts".

"They just told us that our jobs have been taken by the police," said a female security guard, Zanele Mcineka.

"We signed a contract for three months. I want to get a straight answer about whether our jobs are still here."

Organisers said on Monday that police would handle security at the Cape Town and Durban World Cup venues until further notice after a strike by other guards employed by Stallion.

Some former stewards who turned up without the correct papers were turned away by riot police, who had a water cannon on standby.

"We're not fighting with the police, we're fighting for our rights," said Thamsanqa Mapumulo as he was ushered away.

Spain face Switzerland in the second World Cup match at the 62,760-seater Moses Mabhida stadium on Wednesday. - Reuters

I still have this sneaky suspicion that Stallion Security got the tender for this job based on hiring "qualified security personnel" at R1500 each per night. But that they then hired just anybody off the street for R150 a night and Stallion pocketed the rest." Somebody please do some research here... this whole thing is very fishy!