Staff at Gold Reef City Casino protest at the main entrance for a 12% increase but the employer offers 4%. Picture: Timothy Bernard / Independent Newspapers.
Image: TIMOTHY BERNARD
As the Gold Reef City Casino and Theme Park worker protest enters its second month, concerns are mounting over the alleged hiring of contract workers while permanent staff remain in limbo.
Some employees are reported to be in dire financial trouble after their salaries were not paid in May, while others revealed that their salaries were paid partially.
The protest action, which has seen workers picket outside the theme park since April 25 continues unabated more than a month after the failed negotiations.
On Monday, as workers returned to the picket lines, Transport, Retail and General Workers Union (THORN) union organiser, Lindokuhle Khanyile, accused Gold Reef City management of negotiating in bad faith.
This was after workers accepted a revised 4% wage offer backdated to January 1, 2026, and the payment of outstanding December bonuses, which were only paid in half.
"The management is disrespecting us and is negotiating in bad faith. On Thursday, the workers agreed to accept the 4% wage offer on the condition that it should be backdated from January this year. We then went to the CCMA to suspend the strike, but management rejected this offer. We have also written to the Gauteng Gambling Board. The workers have surrendered because they are starving now, but the company is not moving from its offer of 4%," he stated.
At the centre of the stalled wage negotiations is the 12% across-the-board wage increase to restore purchasing power eroded by the cost-of-living crisis, transport allowance increases from R50 to R80 per shift, reflecting a 45% surge in commuting costs.
Documenting the hardships faced by workers, Khanyile lamented: "There are workers who have not been paid at all, while others have been paid partial salaries. This is one of the ways the company is trying to undermine workers."
He mentioned that the normal salary cycle begins on the 15th of each month and that payments should have been made on time despite the strike that started on April 25.
Attempts to get a comment from Gold Reef management and its representatives were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Ebrahim Moosa, identified as the chief management representative in the stalled talks, did not respond to emails, messages, and calls sent since 28 April
The continued stalemate has also attracted the attention of BuildOne South Africa (BOSA)'s Ayanda-Allie Paine, who accused Gold Reef management of attempting to replace striking workers with unlicensed, unqualified, and inadequate temporary staff.
Paine further raised her concerns over the safety of workers, saying: "Additionally, it is alleged that Gold Reef City Casino does not have enough replacement staff to cover gaps left by those involved in industrial action, resulting in staff-to-patron ratios that do not meet regulatory or industry standards. We are seriously concerned about possible safety and security risks at the casino, especially considering the country's high rate of financial misconduct and the presence of children and families enjoying the theme park rides."
siyabonga.sithole@inl.co.za