Wiseman Khuzwayo

A spat between trade union Solidarity and the State Information Technology Agency (Sita) over restructuring and possible retrenchments could affect crucial government departments.

Sita scoffed yesterday at Solidarity’s accusations that the parastatal was considering lay-offs as part of a three-year turnaround strategy. “Retrenchment is not a term used by this organisation,” Sita spokeswoman Anthea Summers said.

Solidarity said the services that Sita offered to government departments and organisations such as the SA National Defence Force, the SAPS and the National Treasury might be compromised if the agency continued to alienate knowledgeable Sita employees through a rash restructuring process.

Solidarity said: “In so doing, Sita not only disregards section 189 of the Labour Relations Act but also section 64 (4), which deals with one-sided changes in employees’ conditions of employment.”

Section 189 lays out the mandatory consultation with recognised unions if an employer wants to retrench.

The union said that its legal documents were already being prepared and it intended taking the two matters to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration. It added that it would not hesitate to obtain an interdict if Sita did not start negotiating with it.

Solidarity said numerous union members were notified in writing last month that their positions were “redundant” in Sita’s new structure.

Solidarity said its repeated demands for the restructuring to be negotiated had fallen on deaf ears.

“Sita employees are now experiencing much uncertainty because of the employer’s lack of openness. Many employees are now totally unmotivated, having been reappointed in lower job levels in the ‘new structure’, while others fear lay-offs because they are still in the dark about their role in this structure,” the union said.

Summers denied there was lack of consultation, saying the chief executive, Blake Mosley-Lefatola, was involved just yesterday in a nationwide live broadcast as part of consultations with staff.

She said Sita respected the right of unions and had been engaging with the Public Servants Association (PSA) and the Communication Workers Union (CWU) during this turnaround process.

Summers said: “Solidarity as a union joined the Sita turnaround process late and we have asked them to follow the same procedure that we followed with the PSA and CWU to reach an organisational rights agreement.”

This procedure requires that a trade union must be able to show the requisite membership. She said Solidarity submitted a membership list in December with names of employees that were not in the organisation. Subsequently, on February 3 Solidarity submitted a new list that Sita was in the process of verifying.

“Also, throughout this turnaround process, Sita has emphasised the need for integrity of information and empathy for staff concerned.”