Solidarity tackles SA Post Office in court next week 

21 September 2021

Solidarity will bring an urgent court application against the South African Post Office (SAPO) as early as next Tuesday, 28 September. This comes after SAPO failed to pay contributions of more than R600 million to employees’ medical funds.

“Not only does the Post Office violate its statutory and contractual obligations towards its employees, but it also poses a threat to the lives of its workers and of our members through this failure,” Anton van der Bijl, head of Legal Matters at Solidarity, explains. “Some of our members are suffering from serious chronic conditions such as cancer and they rely on their medical cover to access treatment and medication for those conditions. If SAPO does not pay these overdue contributions, the employees will lose access to such treatment”.

Solidarity contends that corruption, mismanagement and state decay have become endemic to South African public institutions. Solidarity further explains that it undertakes to fight against these evils on behalf of its members who work at these organisations as well as on behalf of its members who pay taxes.

“It is a pity that we have to go to court time and again to force state institutions to do the right thing. Yet, Solidarity has never merely watched on while state decay and tax abuse result in the disadvantaging of their employees as well as taxpayers. In this case, too, we will protect the interests of our members and will do everything in our power to prevent them from becoming the victims of mismanagement by the state,” Van der Bijl concluded.

Issued by Anton van der Bijl, Head: Legal Matters, Solidarity, 21 September 2021