SAPO strike still ongoing

Students studying by correspondence, and people relying on receiving chronic medication through the mail are the people suffering the most because of the postal workers’ strike.

This was according to Sipho Maholwana, secretary of the Limpopo branch of the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU).

The strike is entering its ninth week in some of the bigger branches of the South African Post Office (SAPO), while in Polokwane workers started on a full-blown strike only around three weeks ago.

Reports of damage to property and intimidation by striking workers were received. Speaking to Review on Monday Maholwana said all post offices in Polokwane were closed, even the regional post office, which employed security guards to prevent damage to the property.

He said the union was engaging in an ongoing meeting with the minister of telecommunications and postal offices, Siyabonga Cwele, the national treasury, the department of labour, ICASA and SAPO in Pretoria. The negotiations started last week.

The week before, when asked for comment on the failure to end the strike which now enters its eighth week, group executive corporate affairs at Sapo, Lungile Lose, said the issue was that labour agreements were up for review to “see where we have gone wrong”. Asked when the strike could end, he said: “I don’t think this is a time-(frame) issue. We can’t meet all the demands because of affordability. The last published (financial) statements showed a loss.” He said it would be the third year in a row Sapo made a loss.

CWU demanded a 15% increase and the removal of the Sapo board, a housing allowance for all workers as well as that the casual employers be appointed on a permanent basis. One of the root causes of the unrest is that the SAPO management has failed to honour its undertaking given to workers eight months ago that it would employ causal workers as permanent part-time workers.

“The minister indicated that she hoped the parties could finalise the talks on Wednesday,” Maholwana said. He also revealed that the CEO of the Sapo board, Christopher Hlekane was put on extended special leave and the head of mail business was suspended. He said the situation was “tense” and that he hoped the negotiations would end on a positive note. Mail delivery is affected seriously and even Postnet branches are affected, as the post office delivers their mail.

The University of South Africa (Unisa) confirmed that correspondence with its students and operations have been affected.

• At the time of going to print, Maholwana told |Review that Sapo had offered a 6% increase in salaries and to absorb 4 928 casual workers over a period of four years. He was in the process of engaging workers on the proposal, but said they “were not happy at all”, and were still busy negotiating.

The spokespersons of Sapo, Johan Kruger and Bongani Diako, had not reacted to voice messages left for them on their cell phones, and were not available for comment.