Interdict hits call centre strikers

THE South African Police Service was granted a court interdict by the labour court in Johannesburg on Friday to prevent the 10111 striking employees from displaying “unlawful behaviour” during their protected nationwide strike.

This follows allegations that the employees affiliated to the South African Police Union (Sapu) were threatening and intimidating their non-striking colleagues and temporary employees standing in for them during the month-long strike.

Last month Eastern Cape provincial police spokeswoman Brigadier Marinda Mills accused Sapu members of causing violence at the four provincial centres in East London, Mthatha, Port Elizabeth and Komani but Sapu denied the allegations.

The interdict was granted on Friday after police brought an urgent application in the labour court against Sapu.

In a statement on Friday, national police spokeswoman Major-General Sally de Beer said non-striking employees had been sporadically intimidated and threatened at the SAPS Midrand Call Centre last week.

She said the interdict restrains striking employees from harassing, threatening or intimidating employees or other persons on SAPS premises, damaging SAPS property, and inciting or encouraging any SAPS employee from taking part in unlawful conduct.

The interdict also prevents the striking 10111 employees from being on SAPS premises and/or using SAPS movable property unless they behaved lawfully.

Yesterday Mills said: “Contingency plans have been put in place and there is an adequate number of members deployed to render service.”

The strike by the workers came after police minister Fikile Mbalula rejected the workers’ entry level salary demand of R19 000 per month from R13 000. Other demands include psychological support for the employees, who are fielding “traumatising” and “haunting” calls about rapes, murders and suicides for 12 hours a day.

The call centre operators are not police members as they are employed in terms of the Public Service Act. They also rejected a recent proposal made the the SAPS management to place them under the Police Service Act and rank them as constables – a level five post, when they want to be placed at level 7.

Sapu local spokeswoman Phumeza Sithole denied that they were intimidating non-striking employees. “People who are working while we strike are exercising their own rights. It is their choice.” —