Trade union Solidarity says Dischem’s moratorium on the appointment of white staff is illegal.
The JSE-listed pharmaceutical retailer issued a moratorium on hiring white people to improve its employment equity profile.
In a now widely shared internal letter – dated 19 September 2022, company CEO Ivan Saltzman says: “Following a review of the employment equity profile and the recent BBEEE verification process, it is evident that our organization’s efforts to effect transformation in terms of our employee profile remain inadequate.”
“Remember, we are growing at a fast rate and a few appointments other than white don’t cut it. It’s the ratio between black and white that counts. So when no suitable black candidate is found and a white is appointed, we need several blacks just to maintain the status quo, never mind moving forward,” reads the letter.
Trade union Solidarity – who received legal confirmation that the letter was genuine says Dis-chem’s absolute quota is in contravention of the Employment Equity Act.
The trade union’s Connie Mulder says Dischem’s memo is explicitly discriminatory.
“There is a massive moral as well as legal difference between including preferred candidates for positions and excluding a whole racial group for positions.”
Solidarity says it is consulting with its legal team in case Dischem refuses to remove the policy.
Meanwhile, Dis-Chem, despite the controversy that has arisen since the surfacing of the letter says it stands firmly behind the moratorium.
“Equality and diversity are important to Dis-Chem, and the group continues to make great strides in ensuring that it maintains progress in this area,” the company said in a statement to News24.
-EWN
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