The African National Congress (ANC) announced that its office would be closed ‘as of’ yesterday because of what it called a ‘wildcat strike’ by staff in support of grievances submitted in June, including the late payment of salaries.
On Wednesday, ANC general manager Febe Potgieter wrote to staff to say that neither their outstanding July salaries nor their August salaries would be paid on time, according to TimesLive.
In a statement, ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe said that party management had received a notice from staff that they would ‘go on strike’ from yesterday.
He said: ‘As a result of this wildcat strike, ANC offices throughout the country will be closed as of [Thursday]. The ANC management will continue to engage with staff representatives on their grievances, with a view to find a solution, so that we can resume normal operations.’
TimesLive reported that the ANC had been battling with cash flow for months and had an unsettled R80m Sars tax bill. The party deducted pay-as-you-earn tax from staff salaries but did not pay the money over to Sars.
The party had also failed to pay provident and pension funds for more than two years.
The report said a letter from ANC staff to the party’s managed demanded that all pension and provident fund contributions be paid immediately, as well as outstanding salaries for July and August.
Staff said: ‘The price increases of petrol, electricity and basic needs is affecting us and more so our families. We have tried to sustain this situation but it is not sustainable any more. It is totally unacceptable that we have been made scapegoats for the organisation’s financial mismanagement.
‘As workers of this organisation we have served the ANC with outmost dedication in ensuring that it executes the tasks of the national democratic revolution [NDR] and as such must be treated with dignity by the organisation. We call on all fellow staff members and members of the organisation to rally behind this action.’