SAPO workers down tools at Tshwane mail centre

Workers at the centre in Tshwane are demanding a 6.5% salary increase.

They have also accused the Post Office of illegally deducting money from their monthly salaries. 

Communications Workers’ Union general-secretary Aubrey Tshabalala says the company has attempted to intimidate workers to force them to return to work.

“Workers are basically asking questions. They have called a mass meeting and are being ignored by line management, except to be threatened that if they don’t report for work, they will be facing no-work no-pay.  

“The reasons that workers have basically embarked on an action that might be given as a strike is a fact that their statutory benefits were not paid, their salary increase, as agreed by the union and the employer, has not been paid.

“Save to say that the former acting CEO have written twice to workers to say that their salaries will be paid in April and then he changed and said in May, then he changed and said in August and none of this happened.”

Tshabalala says the union will be meeting with the Post Office on Thursday. 

“We are having a meeting tomorrow with the Post Office executive around this issue. We have said that we will get back to workers and also give a feedback in relation to the particular issue. The anger of workers is quite correct…I am sure workers are saying to us now, based on the outcome of that meeting, that stability of that operation cannot be guaranteed because workers have been lied to by the employer.”