Union blasts SAPO treatment of workers
The South African Post Office (SAPO) has come in for tough criticism from Cosatu in the Free State over what the labour federation calls ‘unreasonable and unacceptable treatment of workers’.
This after Cosatu was told that postmen are forced to fix their delivery bicycles when they are broken, and are not provided with protective clothing for inclement weather conditions, according to the union’s provincial secretary, Menyatso oa Mahlatsi, who was speaking following fact-finding visits to post offices around the province.
He said: “Deliverymen and women work in very terrible conditions; that they do not have uniforms and protective clothing despite being exposed to very harsh weather conditions. This breaks the workers’ morale.
“It is also worth noting that our affiliate, the Communications Workers Union, fought hard for women to be considered for delivery work, so the present conditions actually deter more women from doing the job.
“It is unacceptable that mail deliverers do not have properly working tools like bicycles, and that they have to bear the costs of repairing broken bicycles. We call on the post office to move swiftly to turn the situation around, and ensure it remains a preferred service provider.
“As Cosatu, we reject the practice of workers having to use their meagre wages to repair their work tools. We call on the post office to move with speed in turning the situation around.”
On education, Mahlatsi paid tribute to teachers, following the celebration of International Teachers day earlier this month.
He stated that Cosatu acknowledged the important role that teachers play in building the nation and communities. He recalled that, during the dark days of apartheid, the teaching profession was an inspiration to black learners since it was one of the few options accessible to them.
“Many families would always motivate their children to be educated to become teachers; all our current professionals owe their achievements to teachers. This just goes to illustrate how important the profession has always been to the African working class majority.
“In the Free State, Cosatu urges teachers not to be de-focussed from their duties of skilling the black child, by social ills such as gangsterism and substance abuse, non- recognition by the employer or lack of resources and teaching materials in some schools.”