Veer Steel Mills metal supplier company in Alberton, took it to the streets on Friday (7TH of August 2020) to celebrate Women’s month by assuring female employees that they played a critical part in the company’s growth.South Africa has seen the highest rate of patriarchy at home and in the work places with a 30% income difference between men and women within the same profession. Some organisations have a relatively small number of women representing female employees in managerial positions. However, that is not the case with Veer Steel Mills Company which prides its self by thriving under the hands of women in managerial positions, leading a male dominated steel industry. Veer Steel Director Sachin Ahuja prides himself for giving women an opportunity in a male dominated industry and that seems to be a touch the Company needed in the first place considering its growth.
Knowing that being in a male dominated industry has its own challenges for women, Ahuja has acknowledged that and he is ready to address any difficulty his female employees encounter within the Company. “It’s not fair that women must fight for equality but on our side we will try to give you the best opportunities within our environment and if anyone has got any issues pertaining anything, you can come straight to me,” said Ahuja Windy Nqgwaku, the first female employee who has been working for Veer Steel Mills since 2012, began as a cleaner and today she is in the managerial office. Nqgwaku prides herself that it is her hard work and dedication that made her climb-the-ladder within the Company. “As a cleaner when I started working for this Company I had a very positive attitude and I was working very hard because they began by promoting me to a receptionist position and today as I speak I’m an office manager,” Nqgwaku proudly reveals.
Veer Steel Mills female HR manager Siddicqa encouraged other young female employees to work their way up within the steel industry and should not be intimidated by men. “Veer Steel gave us women an opportunity to thrive and show men that we can do anything as we have done already, as you all know as we stand currently we’re a threat to them [men]. So as you know I’m an HR officer and I did to prove to them that I can do it better, and ladies as you know Veer Steel has a learnership and I encourage you to go and thrive,” Siddicqa encouraged female employees.“The Company is going an extra mile by also empowering ‘a girl child’ at higher institutions of learning through their bursary programme. “Veer Steel Mills will be awarding two bursaries to two females in commemoration of Women’s day celebration for them to pursue careers in the steel industry,” Siddicqa concluded.