Frustration as Post Office strike drags on
METRO- Unisa advises its students not to post their assignments because of the delays caused by the Post Office strike.
MORE than a month of strike action by postal service workers has resulted in frustrating mail delivery disruptions – and there is no end in sight.
“Negotiations are continuing, but no resolution has been reached. Given the impact of the strike, all role players are involved… including the Ministry of Telecommunications and Postal Services,” said Malusi Fuphe, SA Post Office spokesperson.
Workers had been on strike for several weeks demanding permanent positions and salary hikes; leaving several businesses, universities and residents helpless due to delays in the delivery of mail and parcels.
Several post offices in Joburg were closed to ensure the safety of customers and staff following violence and intimidation.
The SA Post Office had implemented contingency plans and mail in the greater Joburg area was flowing, although not at optimum levels, Fuphe said.
However, the SA Post Office’s Facebook page had been inundated with complaints from frustrated customers, claiming that they had received little feedback from the entity about the status of their undelivered parcels.
Facebook user Carrie-Anne Lones asked, “Why are post offices accepting parcels to destinations where delivery is not possible[?] Why is there not a notification at the post office entrance with updates as to what is happening[?]”
The University of South Africa (Unisa) said the strike at the post office has had a negative impact on the institution’s processes and its students.
According to Unisa, due to the strike many assignments had not been delivered to the institution and marked assignments to be returned to students had not yet been delivered. As a result, assignments due dates had also been extended and Unisa encouraged its students not to submit their assignment by post.
The strike stemmed from the implementation of the SA Post Office’s flexible labour strategy, which was approved in 2013 to convert 7 945 casual workers into permanent employees.
According to Mlu Mathonsi, COO at the SA Post Office (Sapo), the aim of the flexible labour strategy was to advance the part-time employees to more permanent positions with benefits; however, a staggered approach had to be adopted given the difficult financial position the company was in.
“Disputes with unions are around agreements made at the time, that casual workers would be employed in entry level positions with limited benefits. Advancement to full-time positions with full benefits would only be made available if and when Sapo was in a financial position to do so,”said Mathonsi.
