South Africa: Why Do Workers Want to Make Parliament 'Ungovernable'?

analysis

Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana says there is no fight with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers' Union (Nehawu). "If they want to fight, they fight with themselves," he said on Friday, three days after Nehawu vowed to make it "ungovernable" over disputes over performance bonuses and conditions of service since last year's unprotected strike. Nehawu says Mgidlana must be removed because he is selectively implementing agreements; the Secretary to Parliament says management is only doing its job. The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) is involved. By MARIANNE MERTEN.

There has been bad blood in Parliament between staff and management for months. Nehawu, which represents 981 of 1,389 parliamentary employees, in November last year embarked on an unprotected strike over performance bonuses and conditions of employment. Parliament's administration called in the police, who fired stun and smoke grenades before MPs intervened in the stand-off. It then obtained an interdict which relocated the pickets outside the gates of the national legislature. The unprotected strike ended with a return to work agreement in early December 2015.

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