Pretoria - The National Education Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) has threatened to embark on industrial action if action was not taken against two senior officials in the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development.
Nehawu also raised concerns about the way grievances were handled, alleged corruption in the HR recruitment process and employee advisory committee which the union stated did not protect the rights of the workers.
Yesterday, Nehawu members marched to the department’s national offices in Pretoria, singing Struggle songs and carrying placards proclaiming “absorb contract workers”, “down with abuse of power” and “fire and remove arrogant managers”. Rodwell Mudzanani, Nehawu’s assistant director, said: “We put on record that the department’s director-general, deputy minister and the minister should respond and act on all demands on or before September 15. If they fail to do so, our members will no longer perform additional duties; our members will embark on an industrial action until our demands are met.”
The short march to the offices on Francis Baard Street ended with the handing over of a long memorandum to Romeo Adams, deputy director-general of corporate services at the department.
The nine-page document detailed the grievances of Nehawu members working for the department.
“Today’s demonstration is motivated by the inaction and unwillingness of the employer to resolve long outstanding workers’ demands that have been continuously raised throughout the department,” it read.
One of the main points of the memorandum was the call for the removal of chief director of supply chain management, Sanjay Singh. “Singh has undermined the supply chain management staff at national office to an extent that he thinks the department is his house where he can talk to staff like he is talking to his garden boys and his kitchen tea girls. Singh even uses staff (to) run his personal errands like fixing his car.”
They also demanded the immediate removal of Marlyn Raswiswi, the chief director of the access to information and records management directorate, saying she targeted employees and made their lives a living hell.
The union also demanded that vacant posts be filled immediately to end the staff shortage, and that contract workers who have been with the department for longer than two years be employed permanently.
Mthunzi Mhaga, spokesman for the department, said: “We received the memorandum and will give it the necessary attention.”
PRETORIA NEWS