SAPS Act must be amended to prevent future strikes

Tomorrow, over 40 000 South African Police Service (SAPS) administrative staff members will go on a nationwide strike as a result of SAPS's failure to ensure that administrative staff are brought into the SAPS pay grade. This includes all 10111 call centre operators, fleet management and all other administrative staff. With administrative staff on strike, crime-fighting SAPS members will be taken off the streets to perform administrative tasks such as answering phones, filling in forms and keeping police stations running. SAPS operations will, in effect, be brought to a grinding halt.

We absolutely cannot have the situation where SAPS, an essential service, is not in full operation. Every cog of the SAPS operation is crucial in the performance of its duty to maintain public order, protect the country from crime and uphold and enforce the law.

The National Police Commissioner, Riah Phiyega must intervene immediately to prevent strike action from taking place. Phiyega must see to it that the 2011 agreement with the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council to incorporate administrative staff into the SAPS pay grade is effected. SAPS has had two years to plan for and fulfil this agreement but have done nothing.

SAPS administrative staff currently fall under the Public Service Act and therefore have the right to strike. Ordinary police members fall under the SAPS Act, and therefore are prevented by section 71(10) of the Labour Relations Act from striking as they are declared an essential service. The DA believes that all SAPS staff, including administrative staff, must also be brought under the SAPS Act to ensure that strikes by valuable SAPS admin staff do not take place in the future.

The DA will therefore consider submitting a private members bill in Parliament to amend the SAPS Act to ensure that the country is protected from a situation where SAPS is not fully operational.

All South Africans must rest assured that the country's ability to fight crime and keep them safe will not be interrupted by such disputes. This must be the SAPS first priority.

Statement issued by Dianne Kohler Barnard MP, DA Shadow Minister of Police, May 28 2013

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