Cape Town - A series of meetings will be unfolding from Friday to resolve the work stoppage by the National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) at Parliament as the union’s national leadership stepped in, undertaking to bring “good news” by Monday.
“Time is now against us. We want on Monday, when we are back at our work stations, to celebrate good news,” Nehawu deputy deputy general secretary Zola Saphetha told a meeting of striking workers on Thursday. “There is no management in its right mind to allow such a thing to happen for almost a week…”
Nehawu will again meet Parliament’s administration on Friday afternoon to resolve the dispute over performance bonuses and conditions of service.
This comes on the back of meetings between the administration and political leadership on Thursday.
Independent Media understands this includes at least one meeting between the Secretary to Parliament, Gengezi Mgidlana, and Speaker Baleka Mbete.
Nehawu president Mzwandile Makwayiba addressed the ANC caucus on Thursday morning, and was briefed by Nehawu parliamentary branch leaders on Thursday night.
Thursday afternoon’s meeting of the striking Nehawu workers - the union represents 981 of Parliament’s 1 389 employees - agreed to the national intervention.
But it was not necessarily an easy meeting, even if Makwayiba promised the backing of Nehawu’s 277 000 members for the parliamentary strikers. A throwaway line that when leadership steps in “you may not like” the result, triggered murmurs - and had Saphetha later explaining that nothing would be done without consulting the branch leaders, and members.
“President ventures into the political terrain to resolve the impasse. One of the last office of the union to dirty his hands,” Saphetha said. “Negotiations are about give and take.”
Makwayiba, who had used his time to deliver a political address on working class consciousness, also moved to reassure the strikers, who on Wednesday faced public order police volleys of stun grenades and smoke grenades.
“We want you to trust us. We will not make any decisions without this (parliamentary) leadership… Even if we differ on what we bring to you, we will ballot you,” he said.
Central to the unprotected strike is the payment of performance bonuses. The union says this should be on the basis of total cost-to-company packages as per the March 2015 agreement, but Parliament disputes this, citing a later June agreement which settled on a 9 percent salary increase as their reference.
A copy of the March 2015 agreement Independent Media has seen states: “The parties agreed that the payment of a performance bonus should be on an employee’s total package instead of the pensionable value.”
The union also points out key agreements like group life, pension and long-service awards are yet to be implemented, while Parliament has engaged consultants to conduct a working conditions benchmark study the March agreement said would be a joint initiative. Parliament throughout this week maintained it was sticking to the agreement with the union and had already implemented notch increments and ex-gratia payments.
On Thursday, Mgidlana reiterated Parliament was already freezing jobs and cost cutting, and could not afford the union’s performance bonus demands, which would cost R50 million.
However, he indicated Parliament’s administration will continue to engage to find a solution. Later he told Independent Media there have been “positive moves”.
Asked about Nehawu’s #MgidlanaMustFall, and expressions of no confidence in him, he replied: “If I were popular, it would be flattering. If I’m unpopular… I’m not in a popularity contest.”
Nehawu is set to continue its protests on the parliamentary precinct Friday. Although a new interdict was obtained by Parliament on Wednesday, the national legislature has decided not to enforce it, arguing the business of Parliament had not been interrupted on Thursday.
Mbete and National Council of Provinces Thandi Modise called in the public order police on Wednesday after striking workers burst into several committee meetings.
Thursday’s sittings took place without interruptions, although services such as translation were limited.
On Fridays there are no sittings and few, if any, committees. Mondays are set aside for MPs’ constituency work.
Cape Argus
* Use our Facebook and Twitter pages to comment on our stories. See links below.