The Asian businessman who fired his employee for attending her graduation ceremony has been served with a letter of demand for unfair dismissal.
He was given seven days to pay the graduate what is due to her.
This was made possible through the assistance of former Ndzingeni Member of Parliament (MP) and businessman Lutfo Dlamini’s consultancy, which offered pro bono services to the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) graduate Sebenele Dlamini who was fired for attending her graduation ceremony on Saturday.
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Dlamini, a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Computer Science Education graduate, was employed at Let Us Repair, an Asian-owned business located at the Lifestyle Centre in Matsapha. She said she had first made her request to take the Saturday off work so that she could attend the event last Tuesday.
The graduate said she reminded her employer, Abu Sufyani, last Friday, but she did not get a response.
It was only during the graduation ceremony that she received a phone call from her employer informing her that she had been fired.
On Monday, when she reported for duty, Dlamini said she was paid E700 for the nine days she had worked this month.
Related: Graduate fired for attending graduation
After this publication ran her story yesterday, members of the public expressed their disapproval at the employer’s resolve.
The story was shared on social media platforms, after which the former MP said his associates learned about the graduate’s predicament.
It was for this reason that Dlamini, through his company TSD Business Consultancy, offered to assist her get what was due to her.
He said as a labour expert, his company realised that the graduate had been unfairly dismissed.
“We visited the employer who apologised and acknowledged his mistake. He then offered her her job back but she declined it, hence the letter of demand,” said Dlamini.
The basis of their claim was that the graduate had not been given a letter of any misconduct, or a chance to explain herself.
Calculated compensation for unfair dismissal was demanded from the employer in terms of the Employment Act, 1980, as amended.
Sufyani was given a week to resolve the matter or have it escalated to the Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration Commission (CMAC) for a formal resolution.
The shop owner was served with the notice of unfair dismissal yesterday, which he accepted though he declined to sign as acknowledgement of receipt of the notice.
The former MP said he was touched by Dlamini’s story, more so because she was an orphan who lost her parents at the age of 10.
“She has been through so much and does not deserve this. She had completed her studies, but still owes the university and had not received her certificate as a result,” he stated.
Directing to the graduate, the former MP encouraged her to keep her head high and always look at the bigger picture.
He further applauded another labour expert whom he said had also jumped on to assist the graduate on the same issue. The expert, who preferred not to have her identity disclosed, said she was concerned by the unprocedural unfairness and the manner in which the graduate had been stripped off her dignity by her employer.
Meanwhile, the graduate expressed her utmost appreciation to the former legislator and the other labour expert for their generous support in getting her employer to compensate her. She further appreciated that they had pledged to support her until the matter was resolved.
Let Us Repair It Director Sufyani said he was yet to consult his partners and lawyer on the letter, and asked not to comment in the meantime.
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