Parliament, Nehawu reach settlement, striking staff back at work
Parliamentary staff were back at work on Monday after the national leadership of the National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) and the legislature’s presiding officer signed off on a pay deal.
Parliament and the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) have signed an agreement over the weekend ending a month-long strike,” the legislature said in a statement.
Nehawu parliamentary branch chairman Sthembiso Tembe confirmed the agreement, saying their demands over performance bonusses have been met.
“Workers who rate between 3.1 and 3.5 [out of five] in the performance assessments will get 3.5 percent of their annual salaries as a performance bonus,” said Tembe.
“Those who rate between 3.6 to 3.9 – they will get 4 percent of their annual salary as a performance bonus.
Those who rate between four and 4.5 will get five percent, while those who rate between 4.6 and 4.9 will get 6 percent of their annual salary. Those who scored a 5 will get 9 percent of their annual salaries as a performance bonus.”
While the union was not happy that the no work, no pay principle will be enforced, it said its national leadership had reached a compromise with Parliament to ensure the deductions from their salaries for lost work days would be staggered.
“It will be divided in different stages. For instance, those who have not not been at work four days or less the deduction will be made over a period of 3 months,” Tembe said.
“Those who have been on strike over a period of more than four days, their deductions will be staggered over a maximum period of eight months.”
File Photo: Nehawu Website