Cuban engineers ‘earning more’ than South African counterparts, claims Solidarity
Updated | By Sibahle Motha
Trade union Solidarity has accused Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu of lying about the salaries of the Cuban engineers deployed in South Africa.
On Tuesday, the trade union told a media briefing that the engineers would be taking home up to R300 000 per year.
This, it claims, is more than South African engineers earn.
Solidarity CEO Dirk Hermann said the Cuban salaries include extensive fringe benefits.
"Part of their remuneration is extensive fringe benefits that include flight tickets for holidays in Cuba, furnished accommodation, food and telephone costs.
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"This is despite the fact that Human Resources, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu publicly stated that the Cuban engineers are not employees and will not receive a salary."
Solidarity also believes that the taxpayer will pay around R75 million for the project and not the R64 million as initially stated.
"The department has consistently misled the public and the Cuban engineers on the nature, scope and cost of the project,” Hermann said.
"There is now no doubt that the Cuban engineers actually have taken the jobs of South African engineers and are paid more, and that taxpayers will have to pay more than was initially stated."
Solidarity has filed court papers to challenge the department’s decision to employ Cuban engineers.
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