Some 42000 state employees affiliated to the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) have threatened to embark on mass action next month if Bhisho fails to deliver on their demands.
The workers have warned they will embark on go-slows in January and a full-blown strike the following month.
The union threatened to march on premier Phumulo Masualle’s office early in February if Bhisho failed to:
- Pay salaries of Magwa and Majola tea plantation workers dating back to 10 months ago;
- Reinstate demoted health workers to their original positions; and
- Fill vacant posts across departments by the end of this month.
This comes after resolutions were taken by the Nehawu provincial executive committee (PEC) at a two-day meeting last week.
Nehawu provincial secretary Xolani Malamlela said the PEC had raised the issues with Bhisho in the past months. “We have contacted the departments concerned a long time ago. We even elevated the matters to the premier if these matters are not addressed, then this will leave us with no choice but to embark on a mass action.”
He said workers, especially those at the Magwa and Majola tea plantations, would be unable to provide for their families this festive season if the provincial government did not do something.
“It is sad because at the time of elections we wanted their votes but now when it comes to assisting them government is doing absolutely nothing.”
Malamlela said the union’s efforts to resolve the impasse at the plantations were also frustrated by lack of action from a task team formed to deal with the matter.
He said the PEC was also not happy about unfulfilled promises made by rural development and agrarian reform MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane.
“We agreed to have a joint task team that will among other things resuscitate these two institutions that are found in the most impoverished part of our province but that task team failed to take off,” he said.
“Our view as Nehawu is that the failure of these institutions to produce cannot be blamed on workers but solely on the provincial government, which failed to put in place capable management and administrative systems that were to be consistently monitored.”
However, provincial government spokesman Mxolisi Spondo said they did not have any correspondence from any trade union regarding a pending strike.
“In our understanding the matters that are raised are still a subject of a discussion between the employer and the employees,” Spondo said. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
Bhisho workers’ strike looms
The workers have warned they will embark on go-slows in January and a full-blown strike the following month.
The union threatened to march on premier Phumulo Masualle’s office early in February if Bhisho failed to:
This comes after resolutions were taken by the Nehawu provincial executive committee (PEC) at a two-day meeting last week.
Nehawu provincial secretary Xolani Malamlela said the PEC had raised the issues with Bhisho in the past months. “We have contacted the departments concerned a long time ago. We even elevated the matters to the premier if these matters are not addressed, then this will leave us with no choice but to embark on a mass action.”
He said workers, especially those at the Magwa and Majola tea plantations, would be unable to provide for their families this festive season if the provincial government did not do something.
“It is sad because at the time of elections we wanted their votes but now when it comes to assisting them government is doing absolutely nothing.”
Malamlela said the union’s efforts to resolve the impasse at the plantations were also frustrated by lack of action from a task team formed to deal with the matter.
He said the PEC was also not happy about unfulfilled promises made by rural development and agrarian reform MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane.
“We agreed to have a joint task team that will among other things resuscitate these two institutions that are found in the most impoverished part of our province but that task team failed to take off,” he said.
“Our view as Nehawu is that the failure of these institutions to produce cannot be blamed on workers but solely on the provincial government, which failed to put in place capable management and administrative systems that were to be consistently monitored.”
However, provincial government spokesman Mxolisi Spondo said they did not have any correspondence from any trade union regarding a pending strike.
“In our understanding the matters that are raised are still a subject of a discussion between the employer and the employees,” Spondo said. — msindisif@dispatch.co.za
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