POLITICS

ANC acknowledges staff payment troubles

Party receives memorandum, says May salaries have now been paid

ANC STATEMENT ON ITS NATIONAL STAFF PICKET

The ANC today received a Memorandum from its staff, following a national picket related to grievances on their conditions of employment. Like all workers in our country, ANC staff have the right to raise awareness of their legitimate grievances, within the laws of the country. The ANC can also confirm that staff members have since received their outstanding salary for May and continues to ensure that there is no month when staff don't receive payments due to them.

We acknowledge as a movement that the issues raised by our staff — late salary payments, their Provident fund, medical aid and other conditions of employment — are legitimate, and the movement must do better to ensure that its staff are treated fairly. The current cashflow challenges faced by the movement is as a result of a variety of factors, including the general economic situation, the implementation of the Political Party Funding Act since April this year, as welt as an urgent need to modernize the ANC's operational and funding models.

The difficult situation faced by ANC staff and by the ANC as a movement will require sober and decisive action. We are committed to conclude the process of addressing this situation head-on and within the shortest possible period.

The movement is looking into all of these matters, and National Officials at their meeting on 14 June 2021 has resolved to meet with all ANC staff within the coming week.

We have a plan in place to manage the outstanding payments due to the Provident fund and other third parties contributions. We are committed to paying staff salaries and whilst the payments may not be at the end of every month, there will be a monthly payment . We also wish to give our assurance that no salaries will be reduced and if we do need to retrench, this wit[ be done after consultation with the staff representatives as the labour law prescribes.

We are in the process of doing a second audit of airs our staff and we wish to assert that we do not have ghost workers. Over the years, when terms of officiats at various levels have ended, we have chosen not to terminate the staff of office bearers, because this was the right thing to do. We have also continued to pay all our long-serving staff members, even those who have retired, because that too was the right thing to do. We will review this and ensure that we have staff who do a full day's work . We thank ANC staff for conducting their picket and raising their concerns in a disciplined manner.

We call on ANC workers to continue with constructive engagement until all matters are resolved.

ANC National Officials remain committed to working with all ANC structures to find a lasting solution to the current challenges.

Statement issued by the ANC, 15 June 2021