Agreement could bring an end to strike at post office which acknowledges that its future is in the balance
From communications which the FF Plus has in its possession, it appears that a solution could possibly have been reached in the prolonged postal services strike and workers are told in an internal memorandum to return to work immediately to rebuild the post office again.
Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus' parliamentary spokesperson on telecommunications, says a forum of leaders have agreed to an increase of 6,5% and that it is retroactive to 1 April 2014. All non-permanent workers will also gradually be phased into permanent posts in a process which will not take longer than two years.
The document was signed on the 14th November by Messrs. Andrew Sithole of SAPWU, Alfred Msinto of DEPACU and M. Mathonsi, the acting group chief of the SA Post Office (SAPO).
According to Adv. Anton Alberts, the process can still be derailed by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) which represents 39% of post office workers and is insisting on a 7,5% increase backdated to January of this year.
All the role players who have reached the latest settlement expressed their hope that the CWU will accede to the agreement.
According to a recent internal memorandum which the FF Plus has in its possession, service delivery has already improved and workers are called upon to return to work to rebuild the post office again.
It also appears from the memorandum that the post office was closer to the precipice than the state was prepared to acknowledge as there are references to the ‘re-birth' of the state utility company.
It is however clearly stated that the post office and the workers' future is still in the balance and that the full cooperation of workers is needed to become profitable again.
"It is in the interest of South Africa that this strike is brought to an end. It has already caused great damage and has had a paralysing effect with huge losses on many companies. The minister of telecommunications and the postal service, Siyabonga Cwele, will have to act decisively to ensure that the CWU accedes to the agreement," Adv. Alberts says.
Statement issued by Adv. Anton Alberts, FF Plus parliamentary spokesperson: Communication, November 21 2014
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