George also impacted by Post Office retrenchments
Efforts by the Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) of the South African Post Office (Sapo) to obtain TERS funds (Temporary Employer/Employee Relief Scheme) to save the jobs of 4 889 employees being affected by retrenchment, have been unsuccessful.
This impacts 4 889 employees of Post
Office staff members nationally. George Herald was informed that a number of employees in George are part of those who have been let go. Spokesperson for the BRPs Louise Brugman, at the time of going to print, could not confirm how many in George would be affected. The hub in the industrial area has finally closed down permanently and only the main post office in York Street and the Thembalethu branch remain open.
Following an agreement signed with three labour unions in March, employees who are part of the bargaining unit had received retrenchment letters and were ordered to stay at home for their notice month (April). Their retrenchment letters were however withdrawn once application was made to the adjudication committee of the Labour Department for the TERS funds since the funds, if granted, would have applied only to workers currently employed, and not to those who had received retrenchment notices.
This was the second attempt at a TERS application, as application had already started during the provisional liquidation of the Post Office when the BRPs were appointed.
Employees would have received 75% of their salaries from the TERS relief and 25% from the Post Office, hopefully for a period of up to 12 months.
Retrenchment letters reinstated
Joint business rescue practitioner
Anoosh Rooplal said in a 24 April media statement that should the TERS relief not be forthcoming by the end of May, all retrenchment letters that had been withdrawn would be reinstated and any amounts payable by the Post Office would be paid subject to the availability of cashflows.
In a follow-up statement on 30 April, Rooplal expressed their disappointment with the unsuccessful application. "We were hopeful that the TERS funding would provide a temporary relief to the bargaining unit staff members, as the funding would have effectively been used to upskill and retrain staff for possible job placements whilst still earning a salary. The Department of Communications and Digital Technologies had also offered to assist with finding placement positions for staff after their upskilling."
He said the funding could have assisted employees while the business was stabilising and in due course growing. "In time, potential positions could have been made available to affected staff at the Post Office."
Rooplal said the bargaining unit category of employees now revert to being retrenched. "We are conscious of the turmoil that this application and subsequent rejection will and has caused the bargaining unit staff members and their families and for that we are deeply sorry."
Brugman said the application did not impact all retrenched workers in higher employment categories and "... they are still at liberty to apply for the new employment roles that have been advertised at the Post Office should their skills set and experience suit the job description."
Only the main post office in York Street and the Thembalethu branch remain open.