Ntsebeng Motsoeli
MASERU — Casual immigration employees whose contracts were terminated have demanded that the Home Affairs ministry must pledge in writing that it will reemploy them when vacant positions arise.
Last week the Home Affairs ministry terminated positions for over 30 temporary immigration employees after
failing to pay them for six months. The ministry has since written letters to all the employees pledging to pay the overdue salaries.
Each employee will be paid a lumpsum of M9 000 by October 25. But the employees said the latest ommunication from the ministry has omitted to mention a promise from Home Affairs Minister, Joang Molapo, that the lot would be reemployed in the National Identity and Civil Registration (NICR).
Molapo told the employees during a meeting last Wednesday that they would be included in the project. However the employees who spoke to this paper in the past three days said the ministry is now refusing to comply to Molapo’s promise.
They have asked the ministry committee in writing that they be reemployed. “The minister (Molapo) said he would make sure that a delegation of his senior officers would find positions for us in the identity cards project. That was a big promise and we want to make sure that it is kept,” said a male employee who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The latest communication came after employees declined to receive their overdue salaries in tranches. A delegation of the employees said the Home Affairs Deputy Minister, ‘Malebitso Ralebitso, proposed during a meeting that they accept their behind schedule payments in smaller portions.
This was after the employees were served letters that did not mention when they would get their unpaid salaries.
“Kindly be informed that due to unavoidable circumstances, your temporary engagement with the Ministry of Home Affairs has to be terminated with effect from September 30th 2013,” said the letter signed by Home Affairs principal secretary, Ranthomeng Matete.
“During the pause from your work, the Ministry of Home Affairs will endeavour to prepare payment of M9 000.00 for the valuable service which you rendered in the past six months. The Ministry is indeed grateful for the services,” said the letter.
The employees said they have also been advised by officials in the Ministry of Labour to demand payments for 1 day a month leave for temporaries. They were again advised that no proper procedures were taken into terminating their contracts so they deserved some benefits.
They were also advised that they could claim payment for their annual leave and that because they had worked for over six months, they were considered full time employees by the public service regulations.
Attempts to get comment from the ministry of home affairs were unsuccessful.