Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
Threat to close down all 10111 call centres
Union set to intensify wage strike
THE 10111 strike looks set to intensify next week, with the South African Police Union (Sapu) meeting this weekend to discuss how to shut down the call centre entirely.
Thousands of call centre workers downed tools this week over the stalling of a fouryear wage dispute, with the South African Police Service (SAPS) forced to bring in uniformed officers to man what is arguably the nation’s most important telephone service.
While strike action has occurred outside offices in Gauteng and the Eastern Cape, yesterday Sapu general secretary Oscar Skommere said the strike must intensify.
Skommere claimed on Thursday and yesterday that SAPS management had been unwilling to meet for further negotiations over the wage dispute, and that because of this, the union would be meeting this weekend to strategise how to prevent the call centre from operating.
“We will be doing analysis to find out what we can do to cause a total shutdown.”
The union has claimed that 5 000 workers are involved in the strike, although the SAPS has disputed this, claiming it is closer to 1 000 workers countrywide. According to the union, the dispute began in 2013, when workers approached SAPS management over their salary levels failing to compare to those of call centre workers at other government centres.
After a task team was formulated to benchmark their salaries against other officials, a report was compiled saying the workers’ salaries should be raised to salary level 7 – an increase of about R50 000 a year. When the new salaries were not implemented, an urgent meeting in 2016 with management once again ordered the report’s recommendations be followed.
However, the union has claimed even after this agreement, negotiations in recent weeks at the Safety and Security Sectoral Bargaining Council came to a halt when compiling a written agreement.
According to one 10111 worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, he has worked at the Midrand centre for almost 10 years and has never received an annual increase.
“It’s really frustrating working with SAPS officers. They get promoted (to new ranks) while the non-police officers stay at the same level. People doing the same job, doing the same thing can get promoted, but we can’t,” he said.
He called a counter-offer from the SAPS to upgrade each member’s salary to that of a constable – lower than a level 7 salary – an insult.
“Some people already have higher salaries than that. They will have to reapply for their job and get a lower salary. It’s unacceptable,” the member said.
On Thursday, South African Federations of Trade Unions general secretary Zwelenzima Vavi confirmed his organisation’s support for the strike. He called on police management to come to the table.
“Our pleas to the minister (of police) and acting commissioner is to hear the cry of these workers,” he said.
National police spokesperson Sally de Beer said yesterday afternoon there had not yet been any negotiation plans set down, though the SAPS labour relations unit was in communication with Sapu to try to end the strike.
“I think all parties want this over with,” she said.
De Beer confirmed all 22 call centres were operating, and while some centres were affected by the strike, there were others that had been totally unaffected.
Regarding Sapu’s plans of a shutdown, she said this would not be allowed to happen.
“We have a constitutional imperative to provide emergency services to our communities. We will not let this happen.”