FULL STORY: NEHAWU PROTEST DISRUPTS PARLIAMENTARY SERVICES

BY AYABONGA NKALITSHANA

The National Education Health Allied Workers Union (NEHAWU) parliamentary workers have vowed to continue to disrupt parliament proceedings as long as their demands are not met by the national assembly to ensure of proper working conditions, better pay and well deserved performance bonuses. This ensued after consultations between the workers task team and the parliamentary management came to halt with workers claiming that the settlement anticipated by parliament was too low.

“It will no longer be business as usual in parliament until our demands have been met”, said NEHAWU Chairperson Sthembiso Tembe. Today, they have disrupted all parliamentary services and have kept to their vow that all parliamentary services will be disrupted and not go as normal. Even the protection service staff are members of the union, and are on strike, meaning there will not be anyone to keep order in parliament, “We do not like what we are doing but we do not know what else to do”, said one protester, who wanted to remain anonymous as parliamentary disruptions continued.

These disruptions started with the portfolio committee that was to listen to the briefing on drought, afflicting areas of the country which was adjourned by its chairperson Machwene Semenya who said, “We are supposed to go for a sitting at 10am. I want to take this opportunity to adjourn this meeting, it is not because of what is happening.” This was followed by disruptions in the public gallery of the house when union workers stormed-in and started singing and dancing, drowning the voice of the chairperson of the house bringing parliamentary business into a standstill once more.

“If parliament knows what’s good for them, they will give us our performance bonuses today.  If Gengezile Mgidlana (secretary to parliament) knows what’s good for him he must come address us”. Some of the parliamentary members also showed disappointment with the way parliament was handling the matter, with police throwing stun grenades to peaceful marchers, “Parliament must not bring the police into this they must listen to the demands of the people”, said  Floyd Shivhambu of the Economic Freedom Fighters.