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Sapo moves to end strike as businesses suffer

Cape Town - The ongoing SA Post Office strike is having a serious impact on the business operations of enterprises across South Africa.

Municipalities, direct marketers, retailers and even small business owners, who have been feeling the brunt of the latest post office strike, have resorted to other means to communicate with and deliver to clients.

One Fin24 user, a small business owner, wrote that because of the strike he has discovered a courier company which is inexpensive, reliable and "collects directly from our offices".

The user, who wishes to stay anonymous, said "this is the last speed services strike that I will allow to affect my business". "I have found a courier company which I now deal with and am extremely happy with their service... so much more convenient and such a pleasure.

"I will never go back to any post office again as far as postal deliveries are concerned. Bye bye speed services."

Another user warned of job losses should all post office clients decide to take their business to private courier services, "as it looks like the best option". He added that "we as clients expect a service as we are paying for it".

"I guess those strikers that embarked on a unprotected strike have now got their permanent positions - in the unemployed queues," said Fin24 user Peter Pelest.

SMS communication

Retailers like Edgars and Mr Price have sent SMSs to clients warning them of delays in receiving paper statements and directing them to a mobile link to download their monthly MMS statements.

Direct marketer HomeChoice reminded clients in an SMS of their outstanding amounts payable at the end of the month.

This week the City of Cape Town, which has until recently not been affected by the strike, said it is expecting some delays in the postal deliveries of its municipal invoices for the month of September due to the Sapo strike.
 
The City said it has been advised by Sapo that mail is still going out but some depots are closed and there are no postal deliveries taking place at these depots.

In the interim, residents are encouraged to make use of the emailing and e-services option available on www.capetown.gov.za.

Advice for ratepayers

Another option is for ratepayers to pay using the previous month’s invoice and to pay a similar amount as per the previous invoice. Alternatively ratepayers can contact the City’s Call Centre on 0860 103 089 to determine the amount due, the City said.

The current unprotected strike started a few weeks ago after a dispute about the process of converting workers from casual to permanent employment. But post office employees have been participating in various unprotected strikes since January.

The post office’s flexible labour strategy to convert 7 945 casual workers into permanent employees was adopted last year.

Ongoing strike at the Post Office's head office in
Strikers at the SA Post Office's head office in Eco Park, Centurion. The gates are closed and employees can't enter. (Fin24 user Hannes FT)

Sapo spokesperson Lungile Lose told Fin24 this week that they expect the strike to end soon, as Sapo management has been involved in continuous engagement with relevant stakeholders and have been in extensive negotiations with all unions representing the striking employees as well as representative groups of employees.  

"Progress has been made to move towards a resolve. The agreements we conclude with labour unions must ultimately find a balance between the demands of employees and the long-term viability of the organisation.

He said Sapo is not in a position to give an exact date for when the strike would end. "In any situation of industrial action there are many unpredictable variables."

Both management and union leadership are however committed to resolve the matter in the shortest possible time, Lose said.

The frustration, however, continues for many people reliant on the post office for mail and parcel deliveries.

Fin24 user Norah P said her company, an abattoir supply firm, relies heavily on their goods going via speed services. "We have sent loads of parcels, which have not even left post offices. I cannot express how badly this affects our company.

"Clients are calling and cancelling items due to non delivery. How long before anything gets done?

"We are also waiting for parcels from abroad, which have landed and gone through customs on the 18/09 but are still stuck at Germiston. Needless to say no calls are being answered.

"Can't the government see how they [the strikers] are crippling the South African nation. Before we used to work for what we wanted, now it just gets given, and if they don’t get, well, hell lets strike."

She made an impassioned plea to the government to step in and help end the strike.

'Work is scarce'

Another user who doesn't want to be named said her clients have been waiting more than three weeks for their parcels. "The strike is hitting my business hard. They [the clients] don't want to buy from me this month due to this.

"This is really not acceptable. Why can't they [the strikers] just accept what they have? Getting fired now and looking for a new job won't help, work is scarce.

"When will this ever end, South Africa has gone to being the worst place to be now," she said in an email to Fin24.

Mala Mohamed, a local buyer said he has been waiting for his parcel for a month now. "The Germiston post office has closed their doors and we cannot collect anything from them. This is really pathetic."

Lose said where insured items are lost during the strike, the SA Post Office will compensate the affected customers. "We appreciate the frustration that our customers are experiencing with the delay in delivery of their mail items.

"Unfortunately strikes mean a loss of revenue to the [Sapo's] business and therefore a promise to compensation would not be possible."

Lose said Sapo would continue to put measures in place to minimise the impact of the current situation.

"The Post Office is the only business that is servicing all South Africans, especially those in very remote places without any subsidy, so yes, we are working aggressively to resolve the strikes."

He added that Sapo is one of the few organisations in the country that has moved away from labour brokers in a bid to provide close to 7 000 people with permanent employment.

Lose assured post office users that contingency plans are continuously refined and enhanced to keep operations running  despite the effects of the strike.

"The areas that are mostly affected are Johannesburg, Pretoria and the East Rand. In the rest of the country operations are happening within context of the impact of the Gauteng challenges," Lose said.

 - Fin24

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