Complaint Review: Touch Corporation

I write this report with great sadness as I truely had hope that Touch Corporation was not the racist company that other employees have emplied. I worked for this company for over a year and have personally witness several incidents of extreme racial injustice. I was the only black person left when I had no choice but  to terminate all connections with this company and specifically Leonard Reyneke the chief offer that I have delt with up to and including today.

I was the last black employee standing as I watched the others leave with extreme unjustice. We were all treated very poorly even though we were the highest producers for this company. In spite of our tireless efforts to perform we worked many hours of overtime voluntary as we believed in this company. After working overtime on a daily basis for my entire duration of employment I discovered that per the FLSA (Florida Labor Law) that I was in fact entitled to overtime pay for any hours exceeding 40 in a week. I was told by my immediate superior Deon Barnard to not list the hours as they were voluntary on my time sheet. I complied with this the entire first year but as the second year rolled around I began listing the countless hours even though I did not expect to  ever be paid. I just simply had no ideal that there was such a law. I would like to point out that the white employees were paid for their overtime hours and I did question that when I found out. One employee was a new hire doing the exact same job I was and even though I had already been there a year working the daily overtime she announced that she was being paid overtime and the other black employee and I had worked for the past year without being paid. We took this to Deon and he advised her he would not be able to pay her the overtime any longer as he would have to pay us.  For the record she did not work one minute overtime since the decision was made to longer pay her. This is a fact but I continued to work the overtime as I wanted to ensure a job well done.

When I asked for the overtime pay I expected to be fired as I had witness others being let go for questioning anything that had to do with money. My records showed over 600 overtime hours clocked. I was often bragged about by Deon in front of the entire company for working so many hours. The entire company saw me and often asked why. At the Christmas party he gave a brief compliment to each and every employee and his comment about me was my tireless effort to work unpaid overtime even on pay day as everyone else ran to the bank. He said in front of the entire compay he appreciated my efforts and valued me as an employee. After my requesting to be paid he in fact said I would. I hoped for the best even though I had witness extreme racial unfairness. I was eventually paid a total of 84 hours and told that I had in fact not worked that many. This was such a slap in the face that I ended my employment with Touch Corporation. I met with Deon's superior Leonard Reyneke on several occasion and he had promised to review the records and today told me I was overpaid. I find that this company is unethical and anyone thinking of working for this company should be aware of their business pratices.

For the record I have made every possible effort to work this out. When I was in fact told today by Leonard that he was not going to compensate me for my time worked I had no choice but to inform anyone thinking of working here to think twice. This company is from South Africa and it is my sincere belief that many of their pratices are from a culture that has identified people of color as not their equal. It is very sad and I do hope some day that their business will be more fair or equal for anyone of color that happens by unassuming and began employ with them. God forbid.