CWU Statement on retrenchments in the South African Post Office and Telkom
8th May 2015
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) is very concerned and angered by the latest public statements by the South African Post Office (SAPO) on its intention to retrench approximately 5 000 jobs from the current 28 000 workforce.
This emerged from the presentation to parliament’s telecommunications and postal services portfolio committee by SAPO administrator Mr Simo Lushaba on its turnaround strategy on Tuesday 5th May 2015.
The plan also includes putting on early retirement about 1000 workers.
CWU strongly disagrees with the company on retrenchments and vows to do everything possible to prevent any job losses in SAPO as the timing is not correct given the harsh economic realities in the country at present.
The unemployment rate is now at a conservative figure of 25% of the population with more than 34% of people living in poverty and throwing workers into this pool will end the very survival and livelihood of 5000 – 6000 workers who themselves carry the burden of feeding not just their families but many more relatives who are without any form of employment.
This will further deepen the poverty gap in the country.
As a union, CWU is in favour of sustaining current jobs and would like to see the Post Office creating even more sustainable and quality jobs.
This for us is a matter of life and death for the working poor of our country and the workforce in the Post Office.
Retrenchments are not a solution but an easy short cut out of the systemic crisis and period of mayhem that has bedevilled the Post Office.
Cutting on jobs will impact negatively on the capacity of the institution to expand into new markets and broaden access to existing services.
We agree with Lushaba on the need to shift focus from expensive and loss-making outlets in the shopping malls of large metropolitan cities.
The foot traffic in the malls comprises mainly the affluent people who hardly rely on the Post Office for their postal needs.
These are consumers of private postal and courier services. The overwhelming majority of our people are in the townships and rural villages of our country.
We urge the SAPO not to totally close down these outlets but to relocate them to poor communities where such services are more needed.
The plan on retrenching more than 5065 workers or abolishment of certain positions is a premature move by the administrator and his team. A better approach is to engage on a proper crewing and resizing of walks in all departments.
We propose that the company should implement a new route optimization in the transport department to address the question of staff retention.
The closing of 8 mail centres is in our view a serious miscalculation and will go against the principle of Universal Service Obligation to which SAPO subscribes.
Therefore proper analysis in this area is fundamental with a clear framework to address backlogs and unintended consequences.
Shedding jobs cannot be the only measure to reduce operational costs and as such CWU has proposed a package of measures as an alternative to retrenchments and we have communicated such to the company.
We propose that the current workforce consisting of casuals and permanent part-time employees (PPTE’s) should be converted into permanent positions.
This will enable the Post Office to do without the following private service providers:
1. Security companies
2. Cleaning services
3. Maintenance
4. Catering
5. Gardening service
Lushaba’s approach of going public and addressing parliament about inter alia cutting jobs is illegal as it goes against the spirit and letter of Section 189 of the Labour Relations Act No. 66 of 1995 which stipulates that “… the employer must consult … any registered trade union whose members are likely to be affected …” before any such move. As organized labour, we are not privy to any such plans.
Telkom is intending to, once again, embark on a second wave of retrenchments this year by retrenching 3000 workers in June 2015.
As CWU, we will fight tooth and nail against any retrenchments in the SA Post Office and Telkom. We are of the view that any business plan that articulates cutting costs through job shedding lacks creativity.
It also runs counter to government’s plan of creating sustainable and decent jobs though some members of the ruling party, especially those in its NEC, are party to attacks on CWU through advising CEO’s of State Owned Companies on how to deal with the unions and through having a stake in companies that are used to dismantle these State Owned Companies through outsourcing.
We are tired of neo-liberal solutions to failures of a capitalist economy.
What we want is a man-centred as opposed to a profit-centred economic system.
Our hope is in a Socialist Revolution which we are ready to participate in and which should happen during our lifetime.
We are tired of organisations that indicate left and turn right. Workers cannot be fooled forever.
Socialism or barbarism!
Statement issued by Aubrey Tshabalala, General Secretary, Communication Workers Union, May 8 2015
