R699 chief in pay row with staff: report
The man behind the R699 car scheme, Albert Venter, is being accused by his staff for not paying them their agreed wages, the Sunday Times reported.
The City Press recently reported that Venter lives in an R11.5-million mansion, and owns a fleet of luxury cars including a Ferrari FF, Porsche Cayenne Turbo S, Maserati Spyder and Nissan Infiniti SUV.
Late last month (June 2014), Venter’s Satinsky Group announced an abrupt end to a partnership agreement with Hong Kong based advertising company, Blue Lakes.
The dissolving of the partnership left as many as 17,000 Satinsky clients without the monthly advertising earnings they had become dependent on to finance the cars bought through the scheme, and by many accounts, unable to repay the full monthly premium for the vehicles.
On Tuesday, one customer in the Eastern Cape, Johan Bartosch, lead a group of disgruntled consumers to the Eastern Cape High Court, looking to declare the deal null and void.
The case was postponed to August 7.
The Times reported that Satinsky’s remaining staff were retrenched this week.
Consumer activist, Simon Lapping, claimed that employees were paid a R7,500 retrenchment package and were asked not to speak to the media.
However, Karin van Eck, Satinsky’s lawyer, said: “Some of the employees have been retrenched. They were given retrenchment packages in accordance with the labour act,” she said.
The Sunday Times said that documents seen by the paper indicated that 43 staff who worked in Satinsky’s call-centre were allegedly promised R25,000 each, which they never received.
In February, several staff were sacked after they complained about poor working conditions and long hours.
The Sunday Times reported that when the employees threatened to go to the newspapers, Venter allegedly paid them R75,000 each and requested they resign.
This ignited an illegal strike among the other call centre agents leading to 15 employees being called to a disciplinary hearing in April, where they were found guilty for illegal strike action.
Venter is believed to have offered a once-off payment of R10,000 to all of the staff at the call centre — later hiking that amount to R25,000, which he has not since paid.
Venter has declined to comment.
The Sunday Times said that 1,300 of Satinsky’s clients have signed up for a possible class- action lawsuit looking to hold Venter responsible for what they allege is a Ponzi scheme.
More on the R699 car scandal
Banks hit back in R699 car scheme
R699 car scheme heading to court
R699 cars deal is a scam: consumer activist
Loading ...