NEHAWU files court papers on the ANC to pay workers their salaries
2 February 2022
As the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU], we fully support the struggles waged by our members and staff of the African National Congress [ANC] in their fight for improved conditions of service.
These workers are going through a sad and traumatising period as a direct result of failures of the ANC to honour and fulfil its contractual obligations entered into, amongst others, the payment of salaries on time, non-contribution/payment to the Provident Fund, contribution to Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and at worst, no salary increment for the last three (3) years.
Previously, the ANC made numerous commitments and promises which raised high hopes to its employees that it would pay salaries and contribute to the Provide Fund, to the UIF and to the Medical Aid Scheme on time, however these have not been the case rather remained an unfulfilled promises.
The late salaries’ payment has resulted in our members and workers losing all that they have worked for years as they have faced a stark reality of banks/financial institutions repossessing their homes, cars, etc; as a result of defaulting payments brought about by the failure to pay salaries on time by the ANC. This inhuman act by the ANC undermines the dignity of its workers who kept the same ANC going through and through by sacrificing their lives in favour of the ANC.
As NEHAWU, we consciously took a right and correct decision to take the ANC to Labour Court as papers were filled on the 31st January 2022. On the papers, as submitted by the union for and on behalf of its members and staff in general of the ANC, we demand that the service tendered by workers must be remunerated immediately.
It is the fact that ANC has deliberately failed and elected not to honour its contractual obligations since October 2021 which made workers to go to December Festive and Christmas without any salary but the ANC continued to gear to January 2022 celebrations cutting cakes as if all is well and sorted with their employees. Despite the public stance made by its President, Cyril Ramaphosa that the ANC is prioritising the payment of its workers as he claimed to be working on salaries and three weeks later nothing has happened instead these workers are being threatened with retrenchment.
The matter is at Labour Court now and as the union and staff, we have tried everything possible to find an amicable solution but to no avail and at worst, these workers were not treated with dignity they deserve.
Unfortunately, the straw that broke the camel’s back was when Christmas passed with no salaries paid. This union shall not fold its arms, watch its members and workers working for the ANC as an employer losing everything they have worked hard for due to the non-payment of salaries by the same liberation movement who ensured workers’ rights and the right to be paid for the service delivered by workers in this country. This is a battle worth to fight for, hence the union is prepared to hold the bull by its horns and even prepared to sleep with the hyena.
In this regard, the national union in its meeting with members on the 18th January 2022 resolved on intensifying the campaigns that have been wedged against the employer and to this effect the union will be consolidating the campaigns that will be implemented in pushing the employer to accede to the demands of our members and workers.
Issued by Lwazi Nkolonzi, Spokesperson, NEHAWU, 2 February 2022
