FEDUSA warns against purging of local government employees
With coalition talks underway behind closed doors, the Federation of Unions of South Africa (FEDUSA) on Wednesday expressed concerned that the outcomes of the Local Government Elections on 3 August will lead to the purging of employees due to their political affiliations.
FEDUSA has written a letter to the Democratic Alliance (DA) leader, Mmusi Maimane, to reiterate that workers' rights should be respected and that no employee should be purged regardless of political affiliation
In a statement FEDUSA General Secretary Dennis George said the federation is of the view that the DA and other political parties will play a leading role in governing the key metros following the elections, and it now remains imperative for all political parties to respect the constitutional rights of workers.
"It is evident from media reports that there are conflicting views expressed by different spokespersons of the DA that some candidates call for conducting of skills audits, while others indicate that outsourcing of core functions will become official policy. FEDUSA believes that panic and uncertainty will take root in the local government structures, with fear of purging, that could consequently undermine stability and have the converse effect of the economic gains that have been reported over the last 2 weeks, George said.
According to FEDUSA, it is important for all stakeholders to contribute towards a legal framework that will ensure effective service delivery and that the process is not undermined by corruption and incompetence.
"Whilst FEDUSA would insist on extending the full protection of the legal framework to all employees, the federation also takes due cognizance of redeployed cadres and political appointees, which have in many instances resulted in large-scale inadequacies in service delivery, wide spread corruption and incompetence."