The South African Post Office (SAPO) is planning to retrench a bulk of its workers after issuing a Section 189 notice.
Workers say they have learnt with shock the employer’s planned move which will affect 6 000 workers.
This forms part of a turnaround strategy that will include the cutting of staff salaries by as much as 40%.
SAPO says this is in a bid to cut employment costs and ensure the profitability of the entity after it incurred a R 2. 3 billion loss in the past financial year.
The Communications Workers Union’s General-Secretary Aubrey Tshabalala says they will challenge the planned retrenchments.
Tshabalala says, “This happens at a time when we are in discussions around the 40% salary cut or hours of work. So what does it paint to us, it paints a very indecisive management that a week back you were thinking of cutting salaries, a week later you are now thinking of dismissing almost everyone in the bargain area – meaning that those who are basically doing the actual work in the post office – almost all of them are facing a dismissal.”
VIDEO: SAFTU weighs in on looming SAPO retrenchments:
