The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU) staged a peaceful march to the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) in Groenkloof. The protest was against new terms and conditions introduced without their knowledge, as well as the issue of salary increases.
SABS unilaterally changed the terms and conditions of employment without consulting NEHAWU, disregarding the rights and interests of union members. Workers demonstrating outside the company’s headquarters in Pretoria protest against the company’s payment and employment structure.
They accuse the employer of unilaterally changing the payment structure without consultations, expressing concerns that the new plan will negatively impact workers’ salaries and benefits.
This is an indefinite protected strike, as workers are protesting against several unresolved issues. These include pushing back against the unilateral restructuring taking place within the organisation. Some NEHAWU members have been placed in new positions without consultation, contrary to regulations stating that members must be involved in such processes.
General Secretary, Cde Zolani Masoleng, mentioned that some workers are paid incorrectly, with many receiving salaries below the minimum scale. For instance, where the minimum salary should be R200,000, some are getting around R150,000, which is regarded as exploitation. Masoleng emphasised that every worker must be paid within the appropriate scale.
“The ball is in their court as we have withdrawn our labour until they come to the table and meet our demands,” Masoleng said. “Today they called us into negotiations to try and persuade us to suspend the protest, where they presented new proposals on how they think we can break the impasse.”
At this stage, both parties have not yet reached a solution. NEHAWU members plan to take SABS to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to proceed without concluding the consultation engagement process. The CCMA is yet to go back and consult with SABS.
The NEHAWU SABS members will continue their protest against these new terms and conditions until SABS comes up with a better solution that accommodates both workers and the organisation.
