South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) members who provide security services across various government departments in the Mpumalanga Province have embarked on strike as of this morning.

Just under 3 000 workers employed by 15 security companies contracted by Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security & Liaison are unhappy they have not been paid their December wages.

V&M Security, Blue Lion Security, PMD Security and others provide security services at clinics, hospitals, SASA offices and licensing departments across the province. All of them say they have not been able to pay wages because the department has not honoured their invoices.

All 15 were notified by letter last Friday, that due to financial constraints the department would pay invoices for December 2019, January and February 2020 in April 2020. That effectively means workers will not be paid until April.

Regrettably, this happens every year. It is not clear whether the department is unable to budget appropriately or if funds are misappropriated.

Consequently, SATAWU has declared a dispute with the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) because employers’ failure to remunerate workers on the designated date amounts to unilateral change of conditions of employment.

Employers were served with a 48-hour notice on Sunday and the strike commenced this morning. 

SATAWU calls on the Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security & Liaison department to act accordingly if it wishes to have its sites secured.

For more details and media interviews contact:

Philemon Bhembe, SATAWU Security National Coordinator, 072 154 3010

Zanele Sabela, SATAWU Media Officer, 079 287 5788, 011 403 2077, zanele@satawu.org.za