NEHAWU FULLY SUPPORTS THE DECISION BY ITS MEMBERS IN PARLIAMENT TO WITHDRAW THEIR VOLUNTARY SERVICES UNTIL THE 2014 WAGE NEGOTIATIONS ARE CONCLUDED
NEHAWU has noted some media reports ,that claim that the union members in the National Parliament ,have declared a strike or will be boycotting the State of the Nation Address {SONA}. We want to clarify this distortion and place on record the decision of our members with regard to the SONA.
Our union representing over 900 members in parliament ,has been engaged in negotiations with the management of the National Parliament since 2013, regarding the wage increases and the improvement of the conditions of service for the financial year 2013/2014. In April 2014, we signed a salary adjustment increase of 8.5% across the board. We also agreed to continue with the negotiations on the other substantive matters with the intention to reach a settlement before the next round of negotiations.
Because of the intransigent attitude of the employer, we could not reach an agreement in 2014. Before the 2014 SONA; our members gave the union a mandate to inform the management that they would be withdrawing their voluntary services during the last State of the Nation Address. However, after direct engagements with the management of Parliament and Presiding Officers, we persuaded our members to cancel their withdrawal and continue to volunteer their services.
The management continued to frustrate the negotiations afterwards and proved that they were negotiating with us in bad faith. The union has received and supports the new mandate from the workers; that those who normally render services voluntarily during the SONA will withdraw those services. These include services such as singing in the choir, ushering in of guests, catering services after normal working hours etc.
This therefore is not a strike or an attempt to disrupt the SONA, as some media houses have reported. Members who are contractually obliged to work after hours like the chamber assistants unit, protection services unit, ICT Broadcasting and Visual Unit, International Relations and Protocol and Procedural Officers of both Houses will report for duty as expected.
We are simply drawing the attention of the political leadership ,as well as the public to the fact that a great injustice is being perpetrated against workers in parliament. We have been patient and disciplined for almost two years in the hope that the management would deliver on their promise to conclude the 2013/2014 round of negotiations.
Our members are definitely not part of the opportunistic agendas of opposition parties, who are seeking to use the occasion of the SONA to score cheap political points through threats to disrupt the proceedings and embarrass the President of our country and undermine the institutions of our government. We feel strongly that those minority parties are undermining the mandate that was given to the ANC overwhelmingly by the voters during last year's national general elections.
Ours is a call for the finalisation of the outstanding issues of the 2014 round of wage negotiations so that we can commence with the negotiations for the new financial year.We also want to make it clear that we are unwavering in our demands, which include the annual bonus ("13th cheque) and many others. We are going to continue being militant and resolute until we reach a fair settlement with the management of parliament.
Statement issued by Luthando Nogcinisa, NEHAWU Western Cape Provincial Secretary, February 12 2015
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