Seven-step action plan focuses on ethics IN AN industry said to have losses of R8-billion a year from theft and corruption, labour and management in the road freight industry reached agreement on setting up an industry code of good practice at a two day summit held in Boksburg last week. An enthusiastic Joe Letswalo, secretary of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight Industry (Nbcrfi) which hosted the summit, said: “This is the first time in this industry that workers and employers have met on an equal footing. It’s a winning formula.” The seven-step plan of action endorsed by the summit includes a focus on ethics in the industry, greater awareness of training as a resource, and a need for engagement with government crime agencies and other stakeholders. The industry plans ongoing research of best practices and periodic reviews of the industry’s fight against crime and corruption. Speakers reiterated the need for fairness in taking disciplinary action against managers and workers. Top managers accused of fraud were given the option to resign and often a golden handshake, while workers accused of small thefts were rooted out and sacked immediately. The only major sticking point in a range of agreements at the summit was in a discussion on the use of polygraphs as a tool in the fight against theft and fraud.
