The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and Parliament are at loggerheads over the payment of annual performance bonuses to eligible employees.
Nehawu claims that the institution’s management has failed to honour an initial agreement that the two parties had entered into to reward all workers who had met the requirements for performance bonuses.
Nehawu chairperson Sthembiso Tembe has accused management of taking a unilateral approach by reneging on the commitments it had made under the agreement.
“More so the manner in which this decision was reached-we believed it was authoritative in the sense that the agreement on the payment of the performance bonuses was a collective decision, therefore you can’t take that decision without consulting the union and that what parliament did – they took the decision without consulting the union.”
Tembe adds: “We know nothing about it. We saw it on the info wallet like any other employees. We don’t agree with it. And as a result of that, we have taken a decision not to sign performance agreements.”
Parliament denies claims it intends to retrench workers
Parliament has dismissed claims by the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) that it intends to retrench workers.
Parliament says it is merely affording employees who are close to retirement age, an opportunity to take voluntary early retirement.
Parliament says the retrenchment claims by the EFF are erroneous and misleading as the institution is currently negotiating with National Treasury to introduce voluntary retirement, which is similar to the one in the public service.
EFF CLAIMS OF PLANNED STAFF RETRENCHMENTS AT PARLIAMENT FALSE pic.twitter.com/6Gzt6sRtXY
— Parliament of RSA (@ParliamentofRSA) March 6, 2021
