Labour Court Dismisses Discrimination Case of 5 Makro Employees Who Were Allegedly Paid Less Based on Race

• Five black Makro employees have failed to prove that the company discriminated against them based on race
• The employees took Makro to the Labour Court after they discovered they were paid less for the same work than a white counterpart
• The judge dismissed the case, claiming it takes more than allegations to prove that discrimination had taken place

JOHANNESBURG - A Labour Court has dismissed the discrimination case of five black Makro workers.

The court found that the five employees failed to prove that Makro discriminated against them based on race because their white colleague earned more than them.

Markro employees discover pay disparity between black and white workers

The dispute started in 2018 when the group discovered how much Makro paid their colleague after someone left her payslip in a printer.

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The employees took exception to the fact that the white employee was paid more for doing the same work.

The group escalated their grievances with management, alleging that the salary differences were based on race.

The company then adjusted the salaries of the five employees and other workers in November 2018, SowetanLIVE reported.

5 Makro employees take discrimination dispute to Labour Court

The employees decided to escalate the issue further and took their claim to the Labour Court under the representation of the South African Commercial Catering and Allied Workers Union (Saccawu).

Acting judge Gugulethu Mthalane said that Makro denied the difference in salary was based on race.

Makro's only witness told the court that the recruitment process included looking at a candidate's employment history and salary at the time.

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The witness added that the organisation often offered attractive candidates a 15% increase on their existing salary.

The witness also claimed that two other black employees earned far more than the white employee.

In handing down the judgement, Judge Mathalane said the five didn't dispute the witness's testimony and that to prove discrimination, one needed more than mere allegations, TimesLIVE reported.

Markro discrimination case judgement has divided South Africa

This is how citizens reacted to the discrimination case:

@MphoMohlomi6 said:

"This matter from the beginning was wrong. They should have filed the matter of equal pay for work of equal value."

@Anees49387805 accused:

"Big corporates always get away with discrimination."

@Jailbir50284837 asked:

"And other blacks in the same position are getting paid more than the white person, so what's the issue?"

@JenniferNtlats1 slammed:

"This is unfair labour practice."

@JacquesCil90 commented:

"It's sad to see how divided this country really is."

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@iNguni_Labantu demanded:

"Wow. Our courts are disgusting. Dismantle the whole machine. Everything."

@WimpyKidZA claimed:

"Could be performance-based."

Former Volkswagen employee arrested for allegedly defrauding VW SA of over R12m released on warning

In another story, Briefly News reported that a former Volkswagen employee arrested by the Hawks for allegedly defrauding the company of over R12 million is back on the streets again.

Christo de Jager's first appearance in the Gqeberha New Law Court ended in the 59-year-old man being released on a warning.

De Jager is accused of conspiring with an employee at an auto body repair workshop to invoice the car manufacturer for work that was never done, EWN reported.

Source: Briefly News