Roy Gerber a reply from a MP in parliament when I sent a complaint to national government...... I’m writing to you in response to your enquiry regarding the interruptions to the postal service.
From the outset, let me state clearly that I empathise completely with your frustrations around this issue. On emptying my own post box yesterday after nine weeks, there were three items….
The impact on businesses and private individuals in unquantifiable, not least in the sending, receiving and payment of monthly accounts. The consequences of this on cash flow for example, or on credit ratings, can be disastrous. The fact is that the postal service is an essential service and this kind of ongoing disruption is unacceptable.
That said, we have not been silent on the issue. For the past few weeks, we have regularly communicated with the Public Affairs Manager of the SA Post Office, Mr Andrew Nongogo, and established the nature and extent of the strike action, which has affected the mail delivery centres and several post offices across Gauteng and the Western Cape. This has now extended across the country. The strike action is illegal, and much of the behaviour of the strikers is illegal.
The fact is though that the workers DO have a legitimate gripe – the SA Post Office had given an undertaking after the last industrial action that these workers (7911 of them) who had been employed on a ‘seasonal’ basis, some for more than ten years, would be made permanent part time employees. We have posed a number of written questions to the Telecommunications and Postal Services Minister to accurately gauge the extent, cause and precise location of the strike action. It turns out that the SAPO has been converting these workers at an average of 17 a month! Hence, through the failure of management, we find ourselves in the middle of an extremely damaging strike action.
We have also asked for clarity on the proposed solutions to resolve this permanently (this is not the first unrest of this nature as I’m sure you’re aware).
I have urged the Minister in a media statement (which received a fair amount of coverage) to take immediate action. He subsequently arranged to meet with the two unions. I have endeavoured to establish the success of this initiative and have already written to the Minister for feedback. I have also asked the Minister for an urgent meeting to discuss this issue, get an accurate picture, and establish what solutions are proposed to permanently resolve this. To date, no response has been received, which in itself is unacceptable.
I discussed this with the Chairperson of the Telecommunications and Postal Services portfolio committee last Friday, who has assured me that at our first meeting after the constituency break (17 October), the Minister will appear before the Committee to explain the current state of affairs.
Lastly, we put a motion before the House calling for a debate on this issue, which was accepted.
Where there are critical items with tracking numbers I have been able to put them in touch with Regional Managers who (I believe) have assisted in tracing and delivering these items as an emergency measure. Unfortunately, due to intimidation, this activity has now ceased. I have kept your item information on file, and as soon as the strike is over, I will do my best to have this prioritised for delivery.
I am so sorry that I am not the bearer of good news, but as soon as I have any further information, I will let you know. I will, in the meantime, continue to monitor and pressure this issue closely.
