SA Post Office still in chaos
Despite the SA Post Office recent announcement that the strike involving casual and part-time employees at the SA Post Office has come to an end, the vast majority of post office employees have once again decided to stay away from work, causing operations disruptions at several depots.
The Post Pffice has dismissed 403 illegally striking casual postal workers on September 2.
As a result of the dismissal of the workers, operations have come to a standstill at the Boksburg depot, and several others in Ekurhuleni.
The Advertiser visited the Boksburg depot on September 23, and discovered that the vast majority of employees have decided to stay away from work, following the dismissal of the striking casual postal workers.
This current situation means that mail delivery delays will still continue.
The Advertiser also learned that instead of the 42 employees, who are supposed to be performing their duties at the Boksburg depot, only seven reported for duty on September 23.
According to a source the small group of permanent employees report for duty in the mornings, spend a few hours at the depot doing nothing, then go back home.
The Post Office recently asserted that following the dismissal of the striking workers, its clients will see improvement to the service.
However, the service remains poor and workers estimate that it could take a while to sort and deliver all the mail held up by the recent strike and the ongoing stay-away.
Residents continue to experience mail delivery delays in Boksburg.
Several residents, who are experiencing issues with their mail service, have contacted the Advertiser and others have even visited the different depots to find out about their undelivered mail.
“It’s highly impossible for seven people to sort and deliver these piles of mail to all the Post Office’s clients in Boksburg,” says a source at the Post Office.
The source mentions that even if those who chose to stay away, decide to come back, it will take workers a couple of months if not years to ease the workload.
“The piles of unsorted letters gathering dust on their shelves inside the depot, which include mail that was supposed to be delivered more than three months ago, will take a couple of months to sort and deliver.”
“Also, the insufficient number of staff at the SA Post Office Witspos mail sorting centre in Johannesburg has a serious impact on the operations of smaller depots on the East Rand.
“The problem will also be exacerbated by the number of permanent employees, who are due to go on leave this October,” explains the source.
According to the source, the dispute between the employer and casual employees has been going on for the past six years.
Another source at the depot reveals that even the newly-appointed supervisor at the Boksburg depot has abandoned the depot, after he was recently threatened by striking workers.
A resident of Sunward Park who was also at the depot on Tuesday morning to find out what is happening, states that he is among the dozens of Boksburg residents that are experiencing significant delays in mail and parcel delivery, apparently as a result of the post office employees’ strike.
“I have gone several months without receiving my mail. We are experiencing delays in the delivery of our monthly municipal account statements,” says the resident who asked to remain anonymous.
“These are the effects of poor management. This problem will never get resolved unless they dismiss the incompetent people responsible for managing the Post Office, as they have failed to do their work properly.
“Instead of only mediating in the political crisis in Lesotho, our Vice-President Cyril Ramaphosa must also come and resolve the (problem at the) SA Post Office.
“We are all aware that there is a serious problem at the SA Post Office, but the metro is still sending us water and electricity bills through the Post Office, instead of directly sending us e-mails.
“People have missed other reports, including sensitive bank correspondence, and failed to pay bills after their letters were kept at the depot for months, despite paying SA Post Office for mail services.”
So while the Post Office said operations have resumed in the affected areas in Tshwane and Ekurhuleni, citing contingency measures having been taken to keep the mail flowing, this appears not to be the case locally.
The Advertiser continues to receive complaint from irate Post Office customers, with some claiming that they have not received their mail since May this year. – @FanieBoksburg
pretty much demonstrates why Africa as a continent can never prosper .. with its “give me” mentality, lack of financial & operational planning & execution, lack of education .. monkeys placed behind the controls of equipment with moving parts ..
SA gov & related institutions, you are sad and pathetic .. you should be ashamed, but alas, you don’t have the sense to realize that