[blindza] Re: [Blind] (more) transport issues

"Jacob Kruger" <jacobk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> · Wed, 30 Mar 2011 11:08:33 +0200

I do also have my own car here, and while it's not all that pretty, it's 
functional, etc.

Along lines of that, I have in past placed exactly that type of ad in kempton 
express, with no luck - as in only response got was an older woman telling me 
her young son had just written off his car, and while worked near enough to 
where needed to get then, he lived other side of kempton so he'd want to do 
something like take my car home at night - first thought is why/how did he 
write off his own car, etc., so no go.

Aside from that, I might have some old time labour law contacts to get hold of 
to discuss this whole thing with them, but, like said in other reply, wouldn't 
want to threaten them first if at all possible.

For now, what have done is send the word out to various other local community 
members/groups (bike clubs among others) etc., to see if anyone has 
thoughts/suggestions, or knows of someone who works in that area, etc. - 
roundabout the best I can do for now.

I think the fact that it was acceptable in beginning counts as at least an 
informal legal agreement, etc., but that's why may speak to some actual labour 
law friends/contacts to get their opinion on the matter.

Stay well

Jacob Kruger
Blind Biker
Skype: BlindZA
'...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Carel Ewald 
  To: 'National Accessibility Portal mailing list with topics focusedon 
accessibility for users with visual disabilities.' ; 'blindza' 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 10:19 AM
  Subject: Re: [Blind] (more) transport issues

  Hi J,

  Maybe try the Kempton express. Advertising for a young student/person to take 
you to and from work every day. It might however mean, that you will have to 
get to work at 6.30am, and only get back at 6.30pm as to give the 
student/person time to do his thing also from 8am-4pm - advertise as "extra 
income". It is going to be fairly expensive though when you using their car. 
Also, I have a car but let the people driving me around use it, and now have 
bumps and scratches - but kind of got over that long ago as there is just 
nothing one can do about that.

  What is interesting to me, from a labour relations perspective, is that they 
are changing your terms and conditions of work. They cannot do this unless they 
can prove it is a operational requirement that you have to be in the office. 
Even though it was a verbal contract, the mere fact that you were allowed for a 
number of years to do this, creates the expectation that this is normal 
practice. If they can prove this is a operational requirement, and you do not 
wish to change, they are in a position to propose retrenchment, which would be 
at a minimum rate of 1 week for every year worked.  However, what you can tell 
them also, is that this extra hiring of a driver, due to them changing the 
terms and conditions, comes at a cost to you, so they need to look at 
accommodating or at least contribute to this extra cost. If you can prove that 
you can do the work from home, they kind of stuck.

  You can always take them to the CCMA/bargaining council on this, but this is 
a career limiting move, no matter how much protection the law try to give in 
this regard.

  Thanks,

  Carel Ewald

  From: Jacob Kruger [mailto:jacobk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
  Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 9:50 AM
  To: NAPSA Blind; blindza
  Subject: [Blind] (more) transport issues

  Might not be worth posting to lists as such, but just looking for possible 
opinions on workable/viable solutions for a current issue relating to transport 
to work etc.

  Firstly, I live in Kempton Park, but current offices are in an office park 
right by gillooly's exchange, sort of on the border between bedfordview and 
germiston.

  Either way, before the company am officially employed by was bought out by 
the new parent company, I was working in woodmead, and that parent company had 
sort of arranged that I would need to come into the office 3 days per week, and 
work from home on the other 2 days, and they sent their one driver past my 
place on those mornings, and I had a sort of arrangement with the one driver 
who was working for action4 then, that he'd fetch me in the afternoons, and 
bring me home for a relatively small daily fee.

  Anyway, the company take over took place in December, and I have literally 
only been into new offices like 3 times this year, but have done some work for 
them from home, since this type of work was sort of website development, where 
I can do work here, then send it off to the them, etc. etc. - programming work 
is generally digital format, so no real physical handover required if you get 
my drift.

  However, yesterday, went in to office and had a sort of formal meeting with  
my now direct boss, and one of their HR people, and they've basically told me 
that if I don't at least start making a concrete starting point on making an 
arrangement to come into the office 5 days per week, for standard 8 to 5 
working hours, that's it.

  I don't have much time to make this happen, and have already, in recent past 
placed ads in local newspaper looking for possible lift clubs, and keep track 
of any advertisements placed on gumtree.co.za and eliftclub.co.za, but just 
seems that the combination of kempton park, and these areas are a no go.

  Anyway, they were suggesting that I should look into employing my own driver 
- somehow think money would make that idea inept/unusable - or look for some 
form of general lift provider like a retiree, or someone, but have looked 
around various resources, and, for example, dial a student doesn't seem to 
cover this area - if I looked in the right place - etc. etc.

  Any thoughts/ideas?

  Part of the issue in the past has also been that since I own my house, and 
it's fully paid for, I wouldn't want to have to firstly try find a place to 
stay closer to there and either pay rent, or have to hope that if I sold my 
house (which is rather a bit of a process nowadays) that it would work out, 
partly since I also have other reasons for wanting to keep my house etc.

  There really just doesn't seem to be any real, permanent workaround for this, 
since while I do have some friends I could try ask to at least start off giving 
me a lift, the every day thing is an issue since the ones am talking about run 
their own businesses, which also means their time frames change on an ongoing 
basis, and while that type of expenditure - petrol money etc. including a bit 
extra for time/effort - wouldn't necessarily be too much of an issue, the main 
thing is I don't think it would be at all suitable if on/off/suddenly 
arrangements had to be looked into again, since honestly think these guys want 
something permanent/sort of in writing.

  I have also in past contacted/made use of one driver linked to BlindSA - 
Smitty - but his rate wouldn't be suitable for this type of thing at all, and, 
although I might be able to try negotiate a lower rate due to repeated trips, 
etc., the permanent, repeated, ongoing times might be an issue as well.

  Lastly, while they initially seemed to think it was Ok if I basically worked 
from home most of the time, I think it's just possible they've had some 
internal complaints or something, but this is a guess based on some of the 
things the one person was saying in yesterdays meeting, and I never really 
got/had anything relating to suitability of arrangements in writing up to now 
either - was sort of a word of mouth okaying/arrangement.

  This again makes me wonder if the one local OT I saw a few times a while ago 
who told me straight out that apart from certain job types etc., the only 
comfortable/successful blindies are self-employed - my UK-based OT sister 
didn't like that at all - mightn't have been right all along.

  Part of the problem is also just that my type of work isn't too common for 
Kempton Park residents, which means they don't necessarily travel to the same 
areas on a daily basis.

  Any thoughts?

  Stay well

  Jacob Kruger
  Blind Biker
  Skype: BlindZA
  '...fate had broken his body, but not his spirit...'

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[blindza] Re: [Blind] (more) transport issues

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