ANC staff to embark on strike over unpaid salaries

At least 300 ANC staff members across provinces are set to embark on strike on Monday as the party has failed to pay salaries for three months.

The decision was taken at a meeting of provinces on Thursday. The meeting was held on Zoom almost a month after the last meeting with ANC leadership, chairperson of the staff committee Mvusi Mdala revealed.

Mdala said staff had grown extremely frustrated with the party’s leadership as it appeared their plight was “not at the top of their agenda”.

Mdala said at the meeting with party leadership that a commitment had been made that Treasurer General Paul Mashatile would meet with staff. Mashatile is yet to meet with them.

“We are more than convinced that the leadership is not taking our situation seriously. I think they are showing an attitude of uncaring and being heartless. Our situation is not at the top of their agenda. They don’t discuss it. They only respond when we do an action about it,” Mdala said.

He said this has led to the decision for staff across provinces to “withdraw their services”.

Mdala said the move was aimed at putting pressure on management to pay salaries, medical aid, and the provident fund.

He said despite previous commitments, the staff’s provident fund remained over three years in arrears.

Staff will also picket outside ANC offices at 11am on Monday.

He added that all provinces had committed to participate in the strike with the exception of the Eastern Cape, whose coffers are believed to be in a better state.

The decision to go on strike comes a week since concerns around staff salaries were raised at a special meeting of the ANC National Executive Committee last Friday.

At the meeting, some NEC members called for Mashatile to step down as acting secretary general and focus his energy on his job as treasurer.

The move to go on strike also comes a month since the ANC in the Western Cape revealed its bank account was empty ahead of its provincial conference.

Weekend Argus