Lentswe, Klerksdorp – The National Education Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) announced that from Monday 13 March their members will be on full strike in the Department of Social Development (DSD) across the country.
On Tuesday 14 March, those who were still occupying offices in Klerksdorp were removed and offices were later closed!
Songs like ‘Down with Bathabile, away with Bathabile’ were sang while holding a placard picturing Minister Bathabile Dlamini with the words ‘BATAGILWE DLHAMZAAA’.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda regional chairperson, Tshepiso Zwem said: “We have been all over sending our memorandums and having meetings, but our mother (referring to Minister Bathabile Dlamini) is still continuing drinking. We are now requesting that you go out of the offices and join us.”
National General Secretary, Bereng Soke said: “We are calling on all our members to down tools for a total and indefinite shutdown until our demands are met.
“Following marathon negotiations with the employer, last night (Sunday) the negotiations collapsed.
“Our demands were first tabled to the employer in August 2015 and this year on 10 February our members were out in a nationwide protest action to resubmit the demands. For more than a month now since the submission of our memorandum, the employer has failed to table a counter offer, only releasing an insulting propaganda statement. Our demands are clear.”
Some of their demands are that the placement of Assistant Community Development Practitioners (Masupatsela cadres) be on the correct salary level and that the entry level for support staff from salary level 5 be increased to level 6.
Nehawu also demand that the permanent employment of all employees who are under the Gender Based Violence Command Centre be fixed.
They also said they are in the process of consulting their members in Sassa over their long-standing demands that have not been addressed by the employer in the same department.
“Our members are already calling for a total indefinite shutdown of Sassa and union is considering this option. We are now calling for all our members and all social development employees to come out in support of their legitimate demands and their fighting union,” Soke said.