Cape Town - Parliament remained mum on Wednesday as scores of protesting Nehawu members again blocked the institution's Plein Street entrance at lunch time.
Singing and dancing under a big red National Education, Health, and Allied Workers' Union banner, they held high posters calling for the dismissal of Parliament's deputy secretary Baby Tyawa, and human resources executive director Ntombekhaya Manyela.
The labour row boiled over earlier this month, following Nehawu claims of “corruption, maladministration and abuse of power” among Parliament's top officials.
A similar protest was held on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, six days ahead of the first state-of-the-nation address to the fifth democratic Parliament, Nehawu members displayed posters proclaiming “Parliament workers have no good story to tell”.
A union official told the crowd: “They (Parliament) must meet us to hear our grievances.”
But exactly what Parliament's response is going to be to the latest round of pickets is not known.
Its media officers were not immediately available for comment on Wednesday, and a call for comment on the matter, sent via e-mail the day before, remained unanswered.
Earlier this month, Parliament spokesman Luzuko Jacobs reportedly said, in reference to media queries, that “our tradition is not to engage with unions through third parties”.
It is understood that talks between Parliament and Nehawu to finalise terms and conditions of service for workers - part of this year's salary agreement - have not been finalised.
Among the posters held up by workers at Wednesday's protest was one that read: “We demand negotiations for conditions of service resume immediately.”
Sapa