Zoo coping during strike

OPERATIONS at the Pretoria Zoo have returned to normal and both the welfare of the animals and the safety of visitors are being taken care of, despite a strike by zoo workers, the National Zoological Gardens of SA (NZG) said yesterday. NZG employees affiliated to the National Trade Union Congress (NTUC) went on strike at noon on Saturday. The dispute is related to an agreement signed in 2009 between the NZG and its various trade unions on the implementation of a seven-day work week. The NTUC is now demanding that the agreement be cancelled and that employees be paid overtime for work performed over weekends. “The zoo is not in a position to meet the demands of the union,” said National Zoo managing director Clifford Nxomani. Workers tried to barricade the entrance to the zoo and dumped litter. The striking employees dispersed after the police told them they had not followed the regulations of the Gatherings Act. – ANA