Home Affairs served with notice to strike by unions
Union officials say Home Affairs employees are overworked.
THE Department of Home Affairs has been served with a notice to strike on 19 June by unions representing employees at the department. The Department of Home Affairs and the unions are set for conciliation on Tuesday at the General Public Service Sector Bargaining Council (GPSSBC), in line with the Constitutional Court’s directive that the dispute be referred for conciliation.
The department has been engaged in a protracted dispute with the Public Servants Association (PSA), the National Health, Education & Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (Nupsaw) on the issue of implementing new opening and closing hours. The dispute dates as far back as March 2015.
“In light of these developments, the department wishes to advise officials that the status quo remains and that officials are expected to comply with the current opening and closing hours for Civic Services Front Offices,” the department said in a statement.
The unions objected to officials working on Saturdays. According to the unions officials would effectively be required to work for six days a week as opposed to five days.
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And this they said meant extra transport costs for officials spread over six days, to cover Saturdays, and costs incurred towards caring for members’ minor children, as well as leave allocation.
The unions are demanding that the department either compensates employees working on Saturdays or revert to a system where employees work a five-day week, from Monday to Friday. The department however indicated it is not in a financial position to consider and accede to this demand.
Instead, it tabled an alternative settlement proposal in which officials would be granted a day off during the week, on Wednesdays, to ensure that they do not extend their days over 6 days.
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In this way, officials would not incur additional transport costs and would be able to make appropriate arrangements for child care like other staff working a five-day shift per week.
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