HR Pulse

Strikes are destroying SA’s economy

The latest sector of the economy to be plagued by strikes is the South African Post Office (Sapo) and the body's financial situation is so dire that Sapo general manager for public affairs, Andrew Nongogo, told parliament's communications and public enterprises select committee that they may not have enough money in their coffers to pay salaries at the end of October. This is the second strike this year that has had such a devastating effect on people's livelihoods – isn't it time for the minister of labour to wake up and amend the strike laws?

According to the department of justice's website, every employee has the right to go on strike. Specifically: "Every worker ... has the right to organise and negotiate to further their aims." But should these workers' rights to 'further their aims' come at the expense of others' fundamental rights? For example:

• Section 26 of the bill of rights recognises that everyone has a right to housing. If the statement by the Sapo general manager for public affairs is to be believed – and that salaries may not be paid at the end of this month because of the strike – the striking workers have effectively infringed on their dependents' right to housing as if they're not getting a salary, they won't be able to provide a roof over the heads of their families.

The platinum mining strike caused untold damage to our economy, something that we're still trying to recover from. Let's hope that Sapo doesn't go the same way.

Lia Marus is the editor of HR Pulse. She has a BA in French, Italian and Linguistics from UCT, an MA in translation from Wits and a Postgraduate Diploma in Management from the Wits Business School. She is currently studying towards her LLB through Unisa. Lia started her career off in corporate communications, where she worked as a sub-editor, researcher and marketing coordinator. She then heeded the call of the publishing world and went into the business-to-business publishing field. She worked as a sub-editor as well as a chief sub-editor. Before joining ITWeb, she managed an HR guidebook at a leading international publishing company.