ancThe Star reports that on Monday protesters, dressed in ANC regalia, paraded placards stating “Pay the agreed salary increase now” and sang and danced on Pixley Ka Seme Street outside the ANC offices in Joburg demanding the 8% increases that were allegedly promised by the governing party.

Last year, the filed papers in the Labour Court to force the ANC to pay its staff their outstanding salaries. Speaking during Monday’s picket, National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) general secretary Thabo Medupe said that following a general meeting with the affected workers, they had decided to embark on a series of demonstrations to draw the ANC’s attention to some of the outstanding issues that had affected ANC employees since the start of negotiations. According to Nehawu, the ANC has failed to respond to at least 10 letters. Medupi said if they had any other option they would not be protesting. Nehawu’s Marvellous Ndlovu did not rule out the possibility of more pickets and the involvement of other regions in the ongoing protests. He added:   “We feel that it is unfair that workers can be subjected to these kinds of treatment and situation. We want to appeal to the organisation to start treating workers like a normal governing party should. If workers at the headquarters of the party cannot trust the leadership of the ANC, what about the ordinary South Africans?” An ANC spokesperson said the governing party was aware of the current protests and that it was still negotiating with the unions on the way forward. Last year, Nehawu filed papers in the Labour Court to force the ANC to pay its staff unpaid salaries.


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