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Union: Post Office exco a virus that must go

Cape Town – The main union behind the strike at the South African Post Office (Sapo) has formally rejected the latest proposal and has called for the entire Sapo board and executive to be sacked, adding that it was prepared to take on the minister responsible.

The effect of the 10-week strike has caused major disruption to businesses around South Africa. Fin24 readers share their stories further below.

Sapo proposed paying staff members R1 500 to return to work and a 6% increase. They have also proposed a phased approach of transforming casual workers into permanent staff, with 1 600 workers being brought on each year for three years and then 1 300 per year after that. 

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) wants all casuals made permanent, a 15% wage increase and a new board and executive team, as they believe the current one is corrupt and has mismanaged the finances as well as the strike process. They wrote to Sapo on Monday, rejecting the offer.

The two other unions, the South African Postal Workers Union and the Democratic Postal and Communications Union, have both agreed to the proposal.

* Has your post office been closed? See our map to find out.

‘Remove the board and executive’

CWU deputy president Clyde Mervin said the leadership of Sapo had damaged the Post Office and that the strike should have been resolved already.

Listen to the full interview with Mervin:



“There is no management in the process,” he told Fin24. “We called for the suspension of the CEO because they failed to manage the process of the strike.”

Sapo CEO Chris Hlekane was placed on special leave last week, while Janras Kotsi, the group executive in charge of the mail business, was suspended.

“But we want more than that,” he said.  “It cannot be the CEO only. It’s the whole executive management who must be held accountable. The board must be held accountable, especially the chairperson of the board.  

“The only time the Post Office will run smoothly is if we have a new board and we have a new executive management,” he said. “They are all polluted with a virus.”

“… We’re so disappointed that the minister [of Telecommunications and Postal Services Siyabonga Cwele] has allowed this process to happen, because he advises the Post Office to employ workers in this manner,” he said. “We are calling on the minister to intervene, but his intervention is becoming a problem. We are definitely going to take him head on as an organisation.”

In the news:

- Post Office shows ‘gross inefficiency’
- Minister wants end to SA post office strike
- Sapo moves to end strike as businesses suffer

Violence and intimidation

Sapo has claimed that many of the post offices closed in Johannesburg were a result of intimidation and violent action from protesters. “A number of offices in Johannesburg were closed today following intimidation and threats of violence by striking workers,” they said on Facebook on Monday.

“No employees at Post Office outlets are on strike, but intimidation and violence has led to the temporary closure of a number of post offices in the Johannesburg area, while six post offices in the area had to be closed as a result of vandalism,” it said in a statement last week. According to Lungile Lose, spokesperson for the SA Post Office, the company took this decision "in the interest of customers and employee safety".

However, Mervin claimed his members were the ones who had been intimidated. “… They have beaten up our [CWU] members, they’ve given us death threats …”

He said they had called on their members not to be violent and intimidate staff, but said he doesn’t believe CWU members have intimidated anyone. “That is a principled issue at stake,” he said. “We can never agree on any violence.”

Time for change

He said the CWU understands the frustrations of the consumers. “We want to resolve the strike, because a lot of poor people [and] people in rural areas depend on the South African Post Office,” he said.

“We cannot continue with a corrupt management,” he said. “It’s important that we do not have corrupt management, corrupt board, and we strongly think that if the board is removed, we will obviously start proper engagement as an organisation.”

Fin24 requested an interview with Sapo’s acting head, COO Mlu Mathonsi, and sent questions, but no answers have been received. Sapo spokesperson Johan Kruger said on Friday that “Mlu is in negotiations at the moment and it is not possible now to say when he will be available”.

Impact on business

Fin24 has been inundated with stories about how the strike has impacted small businesses.

Fin24 user Linda Hodnett said the strike has had a massive impact on her business. “On 15 August we sent out over 1 800 magazine subscriptions with approximately 350 of them being up for renewal,” she said.

“The magazines haven’t been delivered so subscribers don’t know their subscriptions have lapsed and those that have received their renewal notices aren’t renewing because they no longer trust the postal service.”

“We also post stock to independent stores – the income from these sales makes up 40% of our business. The majority of parcels have not been delivered; the tracking service is unavailable and the customer service line doesn’t get answered.

“This all means that 65% of our income (subscription renewals and stock) has been lost due to the strike. We are about to go to print but find ourselves with an unexpected cash flow crisis – when we eventually overcome this problem the next one will be: how do we get our subscriptions delivered?

“We have decided to no longer use the Post Office for parcels and will be using a courier service instead.”

Fin24 user Johan van der Merwe said he regularly import parts from eBay and almost R10 000 worth of parcels were sitting in Sapo offices.

"Obviously I cannot pay VAT or import charges as well as the handling fees. Nor do I know if these imports will reach me now. Have they been vandalised or stolen?"

"I have come to the conclusion to shut Sapo out completely and make use of a courier for future deliveries."

- Fin24.

* Have you been affected by the South African Post Office strike? Send us your photos and stories.

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