“THE GOVERNMENT HAS LOOTED THE POST OFFICE IN ORDER TO PRIVATISE IT LATER,” SAYS VAVI

South Agrican Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) leader Zwelinzima Vavi says the government itself has looted the South Post Office (SAPO) so that it becomes bankrupt and be privstided.

He was speaking at a protest march by disgruntled Post Office workers who submitted a memorandum of grievances to the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies in Tshwane on Wednesday.

Among many other demands, the embattled workers want a R5000 salary increase as they have not had any increases for the past 8 years.

They also want retrenchments to be stopped with immediate effect and for the government to bail out the South African Post Office and save their jobs as promised.

The workers are affiliated to the Communications Workers Union.

Organiser of the Communications Workers Union Moffat Seutloadi told Tshwane Talks that there is a lack of political will from the government to bail out the Post Office.

“The Post Office workers have not received a salary increase for the past 8 years, yet they work under harsh conditions and what we are saying is that the government must transform the Post Office and make it digital so that it can become competitive to any other institution that has been privatised in this country,” said Seutloadi.

“The government has made a promise to bail out the Post Office with R3,8 billion but now the government is coming with excuses and the Treasury is taking us from pillar to post, and we expected Minister Malatsi to come and address us and receive our memorandum but now we are told that he has some more important meetings to attend,” he griped.

“Our members can hardly afford a loaf of bread because no one can really survive for 8 years without a salary increase,” he said.

Depacu General Secretary Kodisang Bokaba told Tshwane Talks that if the government doesn’t meet their demands then the consequences will be dire.

“We are saying Post Office workers are fed-up; the cabinet has increased in size; Deputy Ministers are superfluous; Parliamentary staff and politicians are getting salary increases and we don’t accept the idea that the government doesn’t have money to bail out the Post Office as the Madlanga Commission has demonstrated that there is rampant corruption and misuse of money which in actual fact should be used to help out institutions like the Post Office,” said Bokaba.

Director General of the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies Nonqubela Jordan-Dyani apologised for the failure of Malatsi and his deputy to come and receive the workers’ memorandum as they were in a cabinet meeting.

“We have received your memorandum and we promise to respond to your demands in detail within 7 days and we are committed to bring on board all the parties you have mentioned because some of the issues you have raised here are outside the control of the Communications ministry and we are going to work collectively with all government departments to save the Post Office,” said Jordan- Dyani when she received the memorandum on behalf of Minister Malatsi.

Mashao Modima, who works as a post man, told Tshwane Talks that he started working for the Post Office in 2004 as a casual worker and became a permanent employee in 2012 and hasn’t received an increase for 8 years.

South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) leader Zwelinzima Vavi told the marching Post Office workers that the government is deliberately killing one of the most important institutions do that they can later privatise it and hand it over to their friends or white people.

“They brought in their most corrupt comrades and cadres to sit on the board of directors of the Post Office in order to loot it left, right and centre and their looting spree has resulted in you Post Office workers having to endure delayed salary payments,” he said.

Vavi pointed out that South African Post Office management has deducted provident funds from workers yet they have not paid those funds to the relevant authorities.

He also pointed out that money for medical aid is also deducted from workers salary but when workers get sick they realise that they have no medical aid whatsoever.

Vavi bemoaned the fact that the Post Office is still using the most backward technologies.