Bhisho Legislature at a standstill as workers lay down tools

OPERATIONS at the Bhisho Legislature yesterday came to a halt when almost 100 workers downed tools, claiming government had failed to timeously probe alleged nepotism and alleged irregularities at the supply chain management (SCM) unit.

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) affiliated members have vowed to continue with their protest indefinitely, as they claim their grievances, which had been submitted to management late last year, had been inadequately addressed.

Yesterday’s protest action also saw some legislature officials, who were meant to accompany MPLs, including the education portfolio committee members, in visiting schools across the province this week, abandoning sites and joining their colleagues.

The protesters blockaded the main entrance to the legislature, while they later gathered near the Raymond Mhlaba chamber, where they sang protest songs.

This was while their leadership met with legislature speaker Noxolo Kiviet and administration head Vuyani Mapolisa, in a bid to stop the protest from dragging on.

Nehawu’s legislature branch deputy chairman, Jerry Basson confirmed the workers had downed tools amid concerns of irregularities in the recruitment and procurement processes at the institution.

Basson said “job favouritism or nepotism” was still rife at the institution, and that there were also concerns around the advertisement and awarding of certain tenders without due procurement processes being followed.

The protesters also repeated their November call made in a memorandum to management for the suspension of SCM general manager, Khanya Zantsi, whom they accuse of “recruitment favouritism” and of being behind alleged irregularities at the institution’s SCM unit.

Zantsi could not be reached for comment yesterday. However, late last year he declined to comment, saying he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Basson said the legislature workers were also not pleased about “the job grading neglect” of support staff to various political parties at the institution.

He said workers were also not happy about their management’s delaying tactics in dealing with workers’ issues.

“Our action is necessitated by the lack of effective and satisfactory responses by management of the legislature to concerns raised by the union.

“This impelled the union to refer a petition to the secretary to the legislature [Mapolisa] on a number of these concerns, which were not responded to.

“The intransigence of management therefore, prompted that the matter be referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) by the union for resolution,” said Basson.

He said the CCMA had found in favour of their union and issued a certificate of non-resolution on the matters of mutual interest raised, “thus prompting way for a rolling protected strike action”.

Mapolisa confirmed that some employees were on strike over complaints “about some operational matters relating to the SCM unit of the legislature”.

“We are confident that the matter will be resolved very soon,” he said, adding they were negotiating with the union. —