After a seven year struggle W.A.R. a registered trade union campaigning for the rights of workers in sheltered employment factories employed by the Department of Labour in terms of a cabinet decree in the heydays of apartheid celebrated the launch of a Provident Fund for its members employed at six(6) factories in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Kimberley . Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Over 1000 workers with sensory and physical disabilities will benefit. Instead of reverting back to a disability grant when they retire they will now get a Provident Fund benefit and a pension. Many of these workers have up to 40 years service with the Department and make linen for State hospitals and desks, benches and furniture for Parliament and schools. The Treasury has taken away many of the preferential benefits to secure orders which the factories enjoyed over the years according to the President of the Union Kevin Jooste who works at the Epping factory built for " coloured" workers.

Sheltered employment factories were established after the second world war to place soldiers and volunteers disabled by the war in meaningful employment. Later other workers with disabilities were employed and the Union wants more cadres disabled in South Africa’s liberation struggle to be employed at these factories where there is space for another 2000 workers.

Able managers, office staff and instructors have for 40 years been in a pension Fund but not the factory workers for whom the factories were build and was discriminatory against people with sensory and physical disabilities says Ganief Hendricks general secretary of the Trade Union. The Minister of Labour Mr T. Mladlana agreed to establish the Provident Fund in 1992 after the Union lodged a dispute in the CCMA but failed to do so. In November 2008 he agreed in the CCMA to do so again and now a year later the Fund will be established as from 1 November 2009. The Union complained to the Minister on the World Day for Decent Work on 7 October 2009 about the long delay and workers phoned President Zuma on his hotline to complain. This seemed to work as an announcement was made to launch the Fund a week later and the Factory Manager at the Epping Factory Mr S.Booysen phoned the Union to give it the good news.

The Union has lodged several other discriminatory charges against the Department of Labour at the CCMA with a view to take these disputes to the Labour Court. These disputes will be heard in Cape Town, Durban and Kimberley later this month. A meeting has also been scheduled with the newly appointed CEO of the sheltered employment factories in Pretoria on 21 October 2009 to help resolve these disputes.