Cosatu: Govt needs to be more hands-on in solving Post Office crisis
The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called on Parliament to intervene amid looming salary cuts at the South African Post Office.
Workers at the Post Office could be in line for a 40% cut in salaries.
This comes on top of the looming retrenchment of 6,000 at the struggling state-owned entity.
The trade union federation claims management has failed to pay workers their salaries owed to them and also did not transfer their medical aid contributions despite deducting them from their wages.
Cosatu spokesperson Matthew Parks said the government needs to intervene.
"Cosatu is deeply worried about the crisis at the Post Office, which seems to have no end in sight. The Post Office workers have gone through horrendous difficulties over the past few years, going for months not receiving salaries,
"We have seen fraud and offences taking place, where managers have deducted third-party benefits like medical aids and pension funds yet failed to hand over those funds as required by law.
"This time, the law enforcement agencies must take action on management, because what they have done is nothing short of fraud. Management has also been systematically closing Post Office branches.
"At this rate, they can argue they are just cutting costs whatsoever, but they are going to leave a shallow public entity.”
Parks says the issues at the South African Post Office will ultimately be to the detriment of those who need access to social grants and other critical public services.
"Government seems to be very hands-off on this matter. We are continuously engaging with ministers who tried to resolve this matter.
"We have now written to Parliament, asking for their intervention in the situation.”
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