Home affairs wary of looming strike by staff

Source: ANA Reporter, 08/06/2017

Pretoria â€" Home Affairs director-general Mkuseli Apleni on Thursday
announced that his department had been served with a notice to strike
by unions representing front office staff.


If this strike is to take place it would interrupt mandatory services
home affairs provides to citizens as enjoined by the Constitution of
the Republic. Thus as home affairs we are deeply concerned by threats
of a labour strike ahead of one of our busiest periods in the year
that is the school winter holidays.


Ahead of the holidays the number of client requests for travel
documents shoots up as families prepare for the long break Apleni said
as he addressed a media conference in Pretoria.


Apleni said the home affairs employees had resolved to take to the
streets in relation to an ongoing dispute over working hours for the
front office staffers.


These are the offices which receive and process requests for various
services from South African citizens and other clients. If the strike
happens on June 19 it would continue indefinitely.
The notice to strike was received from unions on Tuesday subsequent to
the regrettable failure of conciliation which was meant to resolve the
dispute especially over provision of services to citizens on
Saturdays. The D-day for the strike is June 19 said Apleni.



It should be noted Saturday work was implemented since 2004.


Between 2004 and 2010 we paid overtime which was not
sustainable. From 2010 to 2014 a day-off was granted for Saturday work
with officials allowed to take a day-off on any day of the week. That
dispensation posed serious challenges. Officials tended to take
different days in the week resulting in the department perpetually
operating on limited personnel.


Apleni said a proposal was tabled which offered that the home affairs
staff be granted a day-off on Wednesdays for every Saturday worked to
curb the challenge of limited personnel in the department.


We are not in a financial position to consider and accede to the
demand for overtime pay. Thus we presented the alternative settlement
proposal for officials to receive a day off on Wednesdays so that they
do not work for 6 days a week and remain within 40 hours he said.


Apleni cautioned that if the strike happened at home affairs it would
hurt service provision.


Our people have no alternative for home affairs services. Therefore
there is a need for us to find a speedy and amicable solution ensuring
we become even more relevant accessible and responsive to the needs of
the people he said.


Conciliation efforts have been held at the General Public Service
Sector Bargaining Council pursuant to the Constitutional Courts
directive that the dispute be referred for conciliation.


Apleni said in the absence of an agreement with the employees staff
were mandated to continue with their set working shifts including the
Saturday duties. We shall not intimidate anyone and have not in this
entire process intimidated anyone as alleged by unions.


Neither will we be found wanting on labour rights and protection of
all officials those who are unionized and those who are not unionized
with all their rights and choices protected as per laws of our
democratic country. All we ask is for reason to prevail for
responsible conduct to guide all actions ensuring the public and all
of our citizens do not lose confidence in our services.