Union calls on police to admit their 10111 call centres are failing
The Independent Police Union of South Africa (Ipusa) has called on police to admit that their 10111 call centres are failing.
The union said it was concerned about a shortage of manpower at call centres, and complaints about insufficient salaries for employees.
Ipusa said workers were paid less than other call centres workers appointed in terms of the Public Service Act.
It said this resulted in employees going on strike in 2017 for better salaries, but that nothing had changed.
10111 call worker agents were employed under the Public Service Act, which in the past meant they could go on strike.
However, union president Bethuel Nkuna said police decided to convert the workers to fall under the South African Police Service Act, which meant they became essential services, and could not go on strike.
“So, they only concentrated on preventing these members from striking, other than dealing with the matter at hand, which was the issue of salary. By virtue of the translation to police act, we lost so many members.”
Nkuna said the translation of the act was done without the police having a contingency plan, after some workers left.
“So, by the virtue of that translation to [the] police act, we lost so many workers. Now they have to discriminate… you’ve got a tattoo, you can’t be under police act, you once had a criminal case before, you can’t be under police, that sort of a thing. It depleted the numbers in the 10111 centre.
“That is our point of view, they have contributed when members were removed from the call centre without being replaced.”
The union said it agreed with Parliament and its call to national police commissioner General Fannie Masemola to have a proper turnaround plan for its 10111 members.
-EWN
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