The CEO of Dischem pharmacies, Ivan Saltzman, has come under fire and is being labelled as encouraging racism and division in the workplace.
This is in response to a leaked letter by Saltzmansent that triggered panic in people after he expressed concern about a recent review of Dischem’s employment equity profile.
It read: “It is evident that our organisation’s efforts to effect transformation in terms of our employee profile remain inadequate in spite of the Regionals making some inroads.
Remember, we are growing at a fast rate and a few appointments other than white don’t cut it. It’s the ratio between white and black 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.”
Many tweeps are challenging policymakers to address the inequality issues that have extended to biased employment equity issues in 2022 and some politicians have been vocal.
Politician Herman Mashaba took this to social media disputing that employees should be appointed on merit rather than the racial background, adding that this contributed to the economic crisis the country is facing.
“As far as I am concerned, that letter by the CEO of Dischem was racial and devisive. Racial qoutus contributed to our current economic woes. Hire South Africans on Merit, and focus on investment in training where you experience weaknesses,” said Mashaba.
Saltzman’s memo merely echoes the Employment Equity Amendment Bill that is being opposed by other political parties such as the DA and is yet to be amended.
The DA has also opposed the memo echoing, “But instead of kowtowing to the ANC’s diktats, business leaders should locate their backbone and begin to fight back, in the same way that CEOs and chairmen of listed companies defied influx control and job reservation in the 1970s and 1980s.”
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Picture: Twitter