COSATU decries the dearth of leadership and deficiency of principles at the South African Post Office
The Congress of South African Trade Union’s {COSATU} national leadership and the leadership of its affiliate the Communication Workers Union {CWU} convened an emergency special meeting yesterday, 27 October 2015, to discuss the crisis at the South African Post Office {SAPO}. This follows the unilateral decision by the South African Post office management ,to criminally and illegally pay workers only a portion of their salaries for the month of October 2015. They paid them 70% of their salaries on pay day, and have subsequently paid them the remaining 30% today; after initially proposing that this portion be paid on the 31st of October 2015.
This has negatively affected workers because their debit orders and other financial obligations are timed to take place on pay day, which is the 25th of each month. Workers livelihoods and those of their families have been compromised and negatively affected by this absurd unilateral decision. It is preposterous that workers are being made to pay for the mistakes of the management. Workers did their duties with honesty and dedication and they do not deserve to be treated with such utter disdain.
The combined union leadership resolved in the meeting that they will demand an emergency meeting with the Minister of Telecommunications and Postal Services, Mr Siyabonga Cwele. The minister needs to account on what is happening and also provide political leadership and intervention on this matter.
This is both morally and legally wrong and points to the dearth of leadership and the deficiency of principles at the Post Office. The nefarious activities taking place within the SA Post Office, are not just an innocent case of bureaucratic incompetence and bungling, but are also motivated by anti-worker and anti-union sentiment running through the institution.
This offensive against the workers by management, is an attempt to de-unionise the Post Office and kill the voice of the workers within the institution.