The fate of seven fired employees at the North West Parks and Tourism Board hangs in the balance after their union’s demands for their reinstatement failed to convince the board’s management.
Members of the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) braved the rain on Friday to march to the North West premier’s office to submit their memorandum of demands, which included the immediate reinstatement of all fired employees.
The employees, all shop stewards stationed at Madikwe Game Reserve, were shown the door last Friday following a court order to cease the disruption.
For the past five weeks, the employees have been on a wage strike. Initially, they demanded that their salaries be paid on time and that the board increase their salaries.
The union’s Ngaka Modiri Molema regional secretary, Thabo Shuping, said the union intended to take legal action against the department and the entity if its members were not at work by Monday. “They say the workers were on an illegal strike, I don’t know what they are talking about because our strike is legal,” he said.
He said the goal of the strike was to get North West MEC for Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism Bitsa Lenkopane’s attention, but it backfired.
Shuping said the situation began at the Madikwe game reserve when lodge service providers obtained a court interdict on the workers who were hindering their companies’ smooth operation and tourism.
“The service providers put pressure on the board and said they were doing business but people are striking, the department instead of addressing the issues of the workers decided to fire people just to please the service providers,” he said.
Shuping said the board had previously misdirected funds that could have been used to pay employees on the annual Mahika Mahikeng music festival. “The MEC directed the board to donate R7-million to Mahika Mahikeng in December. That money could have helped pay staff members,” he said.
Lenkopane confirmed that an entity that reports under her department had fired its employees. But, she downplayed the situation, saying there were no issues regarding salaries.
“In January, when the employees were supposed to be paid on January 20, they were paid on January 21. They were paid for February and March. They were also supposed to be having engagement on the salary increases. Where we are sitting, the increase was effected and backdated for 2024 March to date with a 4.7% increase.”
Lenkopane confirmed that seven employees were fired. “It is not only through dismissal but also through a Mahikeng high court case, where 27 applicants who are concessionaires at Madikwe [game reserve] received a court order barring Nehawu and its members from participating in any strike and all activities that were disrupting the functioning of the services at Madikwe,” she said.
Lenkopane said the strike impacted on tourism.
She said after having received the court order on March 27, the board issued a directive to its employees to stop disrupting in a manner that will compromise the service of the board, but they did not stop their disruptions.
Among their demands, Nehawu wanted North West Premier Lazarus Mokgosi to intervene. “From where I am sitting, my view is that the MEC is capable and she has been handling the situation quite satisfactorily but if issues are outstanding, which warrants the intervention of the premier, I will intervene,” Mokgosi said.”
