HOSPERSA TO MARCH TO KRUGER NATIONAL PARK OVER UNFAIR LABOUR PRACTICES
Hospersa is gearing up for a march on 20 September 2019, at the Kruger National Park to address the various employment issues at the South African National Parks (SANParks). The list of grievances includes the collapsed wage negotiations as well as a dispute involving the payment of Sunday hours and Public holidays. The Union has declared a total shutdown of SANParks’ facilities during the march where it also expects a national stay-away by its members.
Hospersa, which is the majority trade union at SANParks, is preparing to march to the Kruger National Park this coming Friday, 20 September 2019, to hand over a memorandum of grievances to SANParks over the protracted wage negotiations and unfair labour practices. This action comes after wage negotiations between SANParks and the Unions collapsed following failed efforts to end the impasse at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA). Parties could not agree on an increase with the Unions demanding an 8% increase backdated to April while SANParks could not meet this demand.
Parties are also in a bitter dispute over the payment for Sundays and Public Holidays. This comes after SANParks failed to implement a compliance order that Hospersa had obtained in October 2017 against it after the Department of Labour (DoL) found that the tourism giant was short-paying its employees for hours worked on Sundays and Public Holidays. Hospersa has stated that the upcoming march is the beginning of its programme aimed at ensuring that its members’ demands are addressed and their rights for fair remuneration as enshrined by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act are not violated.
“We have informed SANParks of our intention to march to the Kruger National Park this coming Friday,” said Hospersa Public Relations Officer Kevin Halama. “This march is the beginning of a programme of action which aims to address the many labour related issues brought forward by our members including the protracted wage negotiations as well as the Sunday and Public Holidays payment dispute,” said Halama.
Hospersa will be joined on the marching line by the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW). Both Unions have also called for a national stay-away at the other 20 parks managed by SANParks which includes Agulhas National Park, Mokala National Park, Namaqua National Park, Mapungubwe National Park and the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park to name a few. It is expected that Field Rangers, Field Guides, Petrol Attendants, Receptionists, Hut Attendants and Security Guards will participate in the march and national stay-away to send a strong message to the tourism giant to address the employees’ demands.
“During the march and stay-away, the day-to-day services like household and visitors’ activities like guided walks and game drives will be disrupted and petrol filling stations will remain unmanned,” said Halama. “Visitors will have difficulty accessing the parks at entrance gates and camp receptions where services will also be affected,” added Halama.
“We have declared Friday, 20 September 2019, as the day of action whereby we will lock horns with this greedy giant,” said Halama. “Our members have made their position very clear and it cannot be business as usual while they have been waiting for their increase since April and while SANParks continues to disregard fair labour practices,” concluded Halama.
Please see details of the march below:
Date: 20 September 2019
Time: 11:00 (A memorandum of demands will be handed over at approximately 13:00)
March Route: Lisbon Farm (R536 road) to Kruger National Park – Paul Kruger Gate
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