By Staff Reporter
The Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) has welcomed the Unemployment Insurance Fund’s Temporary Employee Relief Scheme’s decision to cover 75% of the wages of Post Office employees.
The scheme will provide R387 million for 6027 employees over the next six months while the Post Office conducts its turnaround plans.
It said on Thursday that while the relief came after much anguish and extreme hardship imposed on SAPO’s staff by its management, it would provide much needed comfort.
“It is critical that SAPO be given the full support it needs to effect its turnaround and ensure that it’s firmly set on a path to recovery and sustainability,” the federation said in a statement.
“This support needs to include National Treasury providing the remaining balance of the previously committed to R3.8 billion injection into SAPO to enable it to settle debts and outstanding payments.”
According to the SAPO Amendment Act, the Post Office’s turnaround must include it becoming a one-stop shop where citizens can apply for a variety of government services such as identity documents, social grants, education or SMME financing.
Cosatu said the current challenges hindering the turnaround of the Postbank also needed to be tackled, as its successful rolling out as a state bank targeting historically redlined communities would be a further boost to SAPO given their symbiotic relationship and shared infrastructure.
“Government too must lead from the front and utilise SAPO and the Postbank as their service providers for their postal and courier, rolling out of civic, social grant and other services to the public, and banking needs,” it said.
This would provide SAPO and Postbank badly needed liquidity to survive and flourish.
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