Postal workers still on strike
The city's business owners had mixed feelings about the current postal strike. Some said the strike has an adverse effect on their businesses, while others said they don't need the Post Office thanks to modern technology.
POLOKWANE – The city’s business owners had mixed feelings about the current postal strike. Some said the strike has an adverse effect on their businesses, while others said they don’t need the Post Office thanks to modern technology.
Doline van Deventer, financial manager at Westvaal Polokwane said they did not feel the effects of the strike.
“The postal strike affects us minimally, because we use mostly email these days, so it does not really affect us,” she said.
Karien de Beer, human resources and administration manager at Audi Polokwane said the strike had an effect on their administrative processes.
“We cannot receive or send any statements or accounts, but that is the only way in which the strike hampers us. For other services, we make use of courier services, which are much more reliable,” she explained.
Ursula Bronkhorst, administrator at InspectaCar said: “I was not really aware of the strike, but if that is a fact, we are going to struggle with sending and receiving statements. We won’t be able to send the creditor’s statements out to our clients and naturally our municipal account will also arrive late. If clients request their statements we have no alternative but to make use of email facilities”.
Post Office workers are on strike and downed tools last Friday. The workers embarked on several protest countrywide and do not sort or deliver any mail.
A local Post Office worker told Review that none of her co-workers worked on Friday and Saturday.
“On Monday we only worked until 11:00. We are now on strike and we will not work until we get answers from the South African Post Office (Sapo) head office. All the workers are on strike, except for our supervisors. Even the tellers at the tills will not work,” she said.
The worker was under the impression that she would still earn a full wage, because it was a protected strike and the Local Communications Workers’ Union gave the government 72 hours notice last Monday, after leaders handed a memorandum to the Post Office regional manager.
However, union chairperson, Amos Mofokeng, said the strikers were in a “no work no pay” situation. Mofokeng said the union applied for a certificate to strike, but the process was not finalised.
He said union bosses were in a meeting in Mpumalanga and would speak to the media on Friday about the way forward.
Mofokeng explained that workers striked for a 15% wage increase, a housing allowance of R600 per month and to have casual workers who have worked for the Post Office for more than 10 years appointed on a permanent basis. They also demanded the resignation of the CEO and board of Sapo.
Regional manager of Sapo in Polokwane, Reuben Masisi, was not available for comment as he was engaged in talks at SAPO head office by the time of going to print.
