Parliament and Sizani’s response to NEHAWU strike's hypocritical

According to reports, strike negotiations between the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union’s (Nehawu) and Parliament have failed to find a solution, and the union is poised to hold Parliament hostage for another day.

The continued disruptions and Parliament’s responses have jeopardised the National Assembly and National Council of Provinces’ packed programmes, and will cost a fortune to reschedule. Further, the fact that Nehawu’s an African National Congress (ANC)-aligned union has meant that Parliament, and the ANC Chief Whip’s office has dealt with their protest action with kid gloves.

During student protests on the precinct last month, the ANC Chief Whip condemned the students’ actions and in a statement asserted that it was “common knowledge that in terms of the law protests may not take place inside Parliament”. However, Nehawu, an ANC-aligned union has been able to run riot on the parliamentary precinct for the past three days. 

Parliament and the ANC Chief Whip’s office’s hypocritical, ham-fisted response has not only created an uncomfortable precedent but may just prolong this predicament. Yesterday’s parliamentary programme ground to a halt when striking Nehawu members wearing pro-ANC and Jacob Zuma t-shirts obstructed Parliament’s entrances and even disrupted committee meetings.

Meetings on crucial matters such as the water crisis currently crippling our agricultural and sanitation sectors were suspended, indefinitely, as well as a NA sitting scheduled to consider outstanding Defence, Energy, Health and Home Affairs Budget Review and Recommendation Reports (BRRR). Today a Police portflio committee meeting was one of the day's first disruptions. 

While we respect the rights of these workers to strike, Nehawu’s actions violate a previous dispute agreement they signed with Parliament and could represent a breach of Chapter Seven of the Powers, Privileges and Immunities of Parliament and Provincial Legislatures Act, and need to be taken seriously. 

Our country faces some of the most serious challenges in over a decade. Massive unemployment, an impending nationwide drought and food crisis and a plummeting economy. Parliament should be focused on these major issues that are affecting our people. It should not be held hostage by industrial action.

We urge all parties involved to seek an immediate and amicable solution to this crisis.

Issued by John Steenhuisen, DA Chief Whip, 11 November 2015