Defiant metro cops take to streets
May 4 2013 at 02:23pm
By LALI VAN ZUYDAM and Sapa
INLSA
Tshwane Metro Police
are refusing to accept the new shift system rolled out on May 01. Picture:
Thobile Mathonsi
Pretoria - Members of the Tshwane Metro
Police Department (TMPD) embarked on an illegal march through the city centre
on Friday on the third day of their protest against the newly-implemented shift
system.
Approximately 200 metro police officers
took to the streets, claiming they “will not go back to work until they are
heard”.
The protesters, some in metro police
uniforms complete with badges and guns, others in union attire, and yet more in
casual clothing, marched through the streets of the CBD, obstructing vehicles
and blocking intersections as they went.
The protesters’ unhappiness stems from
the introduction of a new shift system on Workers’ Day, which was Wednesday.
The previous shift system, which lapsed
in 2011 but was extended to accommodate negotiations with unions, allowed for
two 12-hour shifts per day, with shift changes at 6.15am and 6.15pm.
Employees were required to work four
12-hour shifts in four days, after which they were given four days off.
The TMPD suggested the new schedule
which has three shifts: 5am to 1pm, 1pm to 9pm, and a night shift from 9pm to
5am.
A split shift was also suggested
between 12pm and 8pm to ensure officers were available during peak hours.
With the new shift system, employees
work the same number of hours but they are required to work six shifts instead
of four.
On Thursday, the TMPD sent a letter to
all members, ensuring them their night shift allowances would not be affected
by the change in shifts, after there was a misconception that they would be
disadvantaged.
“We are still not happy,” one protester
said, adding the chief of metro police, Steven Ngobeni, refused to address
their grievances about the new system.
The protesters marched from the TMPD
head office, on the corner of WF Nkomo (Church) and Es’kia Mphahlele streets
(DF Malan), chanting “voetsek” and blocking traffic. They made their way down
Madiba Street (Vermeulen), past Isivuno House opposite the Munitoria building,
up Johannes Ramokhoase Street (Proes) and back to the metro police head office.
They gathered at all the large
intersections and sat on the road to prevent traffic flow.
When vehicles attempted to pass the
protesters, they crowded around the cars so they could not move.
Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba,
metro police spokesman, said they had a 70 percent turn-out for work yesterday,
which was an improvement on Thursday’s 60 percent.
“We hope it will get better as the days
pass, but we urge them to stop what they are doing and come back to work and
attend to the needs of the public,” Mahamba said.
Mahamba said disciplinary procedures
would follow when the employees returned to work.
“The TMPD does not accept the illegal
strike action of the workers. If they are unhappy they have legal avenues
available to them,” he said.
Mahamba again said their doors were
open to the unhappy members, but was firm in saying the Ngobeni would not address
an illegal strike.
“The manner with which they are dealing
with the issue will not solve anything,” Mahamba said.
l Meanwhile, the Johannesburg Labour
Court has granted the Tshwane Metropolitan Police Department an order
prohibiting its workers from going on an illegal strike, the municipality said
yesterday.
Spokesman for the metro police, Console
Tleane, said the interdict was against the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu),
the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu), and the members of
the Tshwane Metropolitan Police who had been on an unprotected strike since the
beginning of the month.
The officers embarked on an unprotected
strike complaining about a new shift system which came into effect on May 1.
Acting Judge Connie Prinsloo ruled that
the strike by the members must be interdicted.
The metro police management had argued
in their papers that the strike was illegal as there was no stipulated 48-hour
notice served on the municipality of the intention to embark on a strike.
“The strike was also illegal because
metro police work is classified as an essential service,” said Tleane.
The court order was issued with
immediate effect.
“The court also ruled that the parties
must return on May 8, 2013, on which date the unions will be given an
opportunity to provide arguments on why the interim order should not be made
final,” Tleane said.
Mdeanwhile, metro police chief Steven
Ngobeni issued an ultimatum to all members on strike to return to work by
Monday.
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