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The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) has recently launched a new call center to provide much-needed assistance to workers facing labour-related challenges. This dedicated resource aims to offer support, information, and guidance to both members of COSATU-affiliated unions and unorganized workers, ensuring that they have a place to turn for help with workplace issues.

COSATU welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’ assenting to the South African Post Office SOC Limited Amendment Bill

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s assenting to the South African Post Office SOC Limited Amendment Bill.  This Act provides a viable path for a revitalised and repivoted South African Post Office (SAPO) geared towards ordinary consumers, in particular the poor and marginalised.

The Post Office has been in financial freefall for many years. This has led to over 4 500 retrenchments and resignation of many postal workers and seen wages unpaid, increases not given, and medical and pension funds payments deducted from workers’ wages not paid to those funds as legally required. 

This progressive Act provides a new mandate for the SAPO.  It cannot rely upon posting letters in an era of e-communications.  The Act enables a critical shift by expanding the mandate of the SAPO to include e-commerce, courier services, support for SMMEs and an enhanced partnership with the Postbank.  It positions SAPO to serve as a multi-purpose access point where the public can apply for key government services. 

If the SAPO is to survive, government from national to provincial, municipalities, entities, universities and State-Owned Enterprises, must utilise SAPO and the Postbank for their postal, banking and other services.

COSATU welcomed the R3.4 billion provided for in the Budget for the Post Office. It now needs to be honoured to enable SAPO to have the liquidity it needs to pay workers, rent and other service providers.  It needs to be accompanied by a clear turnaround plan that ensures SAPO is stabilised, repostioned and set on a sustainable path.  This must be based upon urgently expanding the range of products that it offers consumers, including courier services, access to SASSA payments and other government services.

It is urgent that government led by the African National Congress give hope to workers at SAPO and their families that their jobs and salaries will be protected and the Post Office set on a path to recovery.  COSATU urges the President, Cyril Ramaphosa to intervene and ensure the SAPO is given the financial relief government committed to and the support it requires to stabilise and be placed on a sustainable path.

Issued by COSATU.

Matthew Parks (COSATU Parliamentary Coordinator)

Mobile: 082 785 0687

Email: matthew@cosatu.org.za