Parliament officials down tools for pay

Gengezi Mgidlane
Gengezi Mgidlane
For the first time in South African history, a scheduled sitting of the National Assembly was postponed for hours because of labour unrest.

This was when aggrieved parliamentary officials went on strike and blocked the entrance to the National Assembly over a labour dispute.

The move by parliamentary staffers brought the institution to a near standstill yesterday, as officials from all units downed their tools over performance bonuses, and conditions of services as well as security vetting and outsourcing.

Committee secretaries, researchers, language translators and content advisors downed tools on Friday, with the action continuing this week.

Riot police were also dispatched to keep a close eye as hundreds of National Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) members protested inside the parliamentary precinct.

Parliament is home to Nehawu’s biggest branch in the Western Cape.

Workers blocked the entrance to the National Assembly, in an unprecedented attempt to prevent a scheduled sitting to take place. “Secretary to parliament Gengezi Mgidlana said that the sitting will continue as usual.

“He also claimed the strike is not supported by all.

“The action is supported by all, even those who aren’t members of Nehawu,” said Sthe Tembe, Nehawu’s branch chairman.

He said the protest action would continue until their demands were met.

Mgidlana held a hastily organised press conference on Monday where he said the business of parliament would carry on as planned.

He also said Nehawu’s grievances fell outside the agreement signed by the union and parliament in March, a claim dismissed by the union.

“The agreement is the one we signed in March which spoke about performance bonuses,” said Tembe.

The 11am sitting eventually took place at 2pm, where MPs discussed the strike, but without translation services as all the translators except those translating into Afrikaans, English and Xhosa, were on strike.

The office of ANC chief whip Stone Sizani noted with concern the continuing strike by parliamentary staff.

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