WHILE wage negotiations between the South African Post Office (SAPO) and unions remain deadlocked, a small group of workers affiliated to the Communications Workers Union (CWU) in Durban barred customers from entering the Durban Central Post Office on Friday.
On Monday, the unions and representatives from SAPO met to resolve the wage dispute in talks that were facilitated by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA).
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According to the CWU provincial secretary Thami Mzileni, the 3 per cent salary increase that Telkom is offering is “a slap in the face”, while the Post Office has not made any offer at all.
“The entire province will go on a full-blown strike. We wish to warn and advise both small and big businesses that they’re going to be negatively affected as a majority of our technicians are members of the Communications Workers Union. We are saying this to advise and make you aware as a majority of businesses use Telkom, both fixed lines and data services,” he said.
Meanwhile, the union has also come out with allegations that the Post Office is not ready to handle the Social Security Agency (SASSA) account, adding that government should rather invest in upgrading infrastructure and networks in the Post office. The union said social grant recipients will not be able to receive their grants because there are some Post Offices in the province that have been shut down.
“In KwaMashu, the Post Office depot is closed – now all workers in KwaMashu have been moved to Durban North, which means there’s a dis-service in KwaMashu. People of KwaMashu cannot access the Post Office because it has been closed,” said Mzileni.
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