by admin | Nov 17, 2022 | NEWSROOM
Membership Update
URGENT: Letter to members regarding the Momentum / NAPTOSA Funeral Scheme
You are no doubt aware that as a member you qualify for a funeral benefit paid for by NAPTOSA. This funeral benefit is underwritten by Momentum. All members automatically qualify for the benefit.
Recently Momentum informed us of changes in the laws governing funeral benefits. One of the changes that impacts on all of us is that all persons covered by a funeral scheme MUST nominate a beneficiary. Failing to do so would mean that the funds would have to be paid into your estate, and not be available to cover funeral costs. This is certainly NOT what funeral schemes were intended for.
To ensure that we are on the right side of the law and that no member is disadvantaged we are sending you a nomination form.
This form requires you to nominate a primary beneficiary and a secondary beneficiary in case the first person nominated passes on.
We are also asking you a few additional questions to allow us to update our database.
Please note, this is NOT a reapplication for membership, it is simply to nominate a beneficiary and to update our database. The form will be sent to you by your provincial office and will also be on our website. The process MUST be completed by 30 April 2022.
I thank you in advance for completing the form speedily and returning it to your provincial office by email.
Yours in Service
Basil L Manuel | NAPTOSA Executive Director
Download Letter – Momentum Funeral Benefit Beneficiary Update
More information from Momentum regarding the changes to the Insurance act:
Download Letter: More information from Momentum regarding the changes to the Insurance act.
Please watch this important message from our Executive Director, Mr Basil Manuel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gr8DtVP5sP8
by admin | Apr 22, 2022 | ARCHIVES, NEWSROOM
NAPTOSA conducted a survey amongst members to finalise its demands. The purpose of the survey was to hear the collective voice of the members to feed into the FEDUSA block of the PSCBC.
The Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) released a market-based compensation comparison report, which clearly shows public servants at the short end of the stick as far as salary increments are concerned.
The report contrasts different wage negotiation deals of different bargaining councils or forums operating within the government sphere. pdfBelow is a tabulation (242 KB) of wage increases for some key bargaining councils and bargaining forums operating within the sphere of the public sector including public entities.
by admin | Apr 19, 2022 | ARCHIVES, NEWSROOM
With the President and many other South Africans, NAPTOSA wishes to extend our deepest condolences to the families of loved ones who lost their lives in the KZN floods. We especially hold the parents, care givers, families and school communities of the nearly 60 learners and education staff members who succumbed, in our thoughts and prayers.
The floods have left devastation in its wake and education in the province has been particularly hard hit with more than 600 schools damaged, more than 100 schools inaccessible at this stage and, according to the President, 270 000 learners affected.
The fact that so many schools are unable to open after the Easter weekend without an indication as to when they will be able to return to normal schooling, means that thousands of learners will lose valuable teaching and learning time that can be ill afforded after the losses suffered during the COVID-19 lockdown measures.
We call on the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the KZN provincial education department to implement emergency plans to provide temporary classrooms, water and ablution facilities, as needed, to the damaged schools.
The death of learners and education staff members, the general devastation and the damage to schools cannot but psychologically affect learners and staff of the schools involved. The deployment of psycho-social services to these schools is therefore crucial. It is heartening to learn that the provincial education department has already put the necessary wheels in motion to provide such services.
It is lamentable and utterly frustrating that the impact of the floods on the KZN education situation is being exacerbated by the slow progress that the provincial department has been making in addressing the rain damages to schools in the province during December 2021. It is clear that the current situation is unlikely to be effectively salvaged provincially. NAPTOSA therefore welcomes the President’s announcement that the provincial state of disaster has been elevated to a national state of disaster.
We appeal to the DBE and the provincial education department to do a thorough assessment of the impact on schools in the province and to work hand in hand with the relevant national and provincial departments and local authorities to ensure that schooling in the province can return to normality in the shortest possible time.
The disaster has once again firmly put the spotlight on the issue of school infrastructure. As NAPTOSA we call on DBE to develop a national plan to address poor school infrastructure. Granted, damage to schools as a result of a natural disaster cannot be prevented, but such a national school infrastructure plan should incorporate steps to address infrastructure disaster management.
We note that the Eastern Cape has also been affected by flooding. While there is currently no available information on damages to schools, the issues raised above are equally applicable to education in that province.
NAPTOSA is a caring union. We therefore make an appeal on all our members to contribute to the relief efforts by making a R 50-00 donation. With the track record we have in South Africa, it is understood that there would be skepticism on the management and application of relief funds. NAPTOSA, however, believes that as a relief organization “Gift of the Givers Foundation” has, over many years, proven that they have the integrity to do so and that our contributions should be directed to them.
Contributions can be made to any of the following accounts:
Gift of the Givers Foundation
Bank: Standard Bank
Account number: 052137228
Universal code: 051001
OR
Gift of the Givers Foundation Zakaat Account
Bank: Standard Bank
Account number: 052278611
Universal code: 051001
Apart from the general relief needed, there is also a dire need for books for learners. Our NAPTOSA: KZN office is currently making an assessment of the needs in this regard and will later put out a communique on this. It would be appreciated if members could also see their way clear to assist in this matter.
by admin | Apr 15, 2022 | ARCHIVES, NEWSROOM
The 2022 wage negotiations will be commencing soon for purposes of which NAPTOSA needs to determine its demands to feed into those of the FEDUSA block in the PSCBC (of which we are part), and ultimately into a consolidated demand of all the unions to the PSCBC.
To enable NAPTOSA to finalise its set of demands, a survey will be conducted among members. The survey will concentrate on the main issues of a wage demand, namely the term of the agreement and the quantum of the increase, as well as certain other benefit areas.
Term of the agreement
The choice is between a one year or a multi- term agreement. Based on Labour’s experience with the 2018 multi-term agreement where the employer reneged on the final year of implementation and the resultant trust deficit in the employer, a multi-term agreement at this juncture appears risky.
Quantum of the increase
In terms of PSCBC resolution 1 of 2021, public servants receive a non-pensionable cash allowance of between R 1220 and R 1695 p.m., depending on their salary level, to be continued until parties to the PSCBC reach a new agreement on a salary adjustment for 2022/23.
We have warned before that this should not lull us into complacency because it does not constitute a real salary increase. In fact, members have not received a pensionable salary increase for two years on top of which they have to contend with run-away fuel and electricity price increases that are having a knock-on effect on commodity prices. The result is higher inflation (CPI), currently standing at 5,7%.
It is believed that a wage increase should at least mitigate the effect of inflation on the buying power of members whilst making up for the wage losses of the past two years. The projected average CPI for 2022/23 is 4,5% and should form the basis of the wage increase quantum. To demand an additional 2% (bringing the demand to 6,5% across the board) is regarded as not unreasonable, taking into account the current economic climate.
Housing allowance
While the housing allowance (R 1 500.07p.m.) increases annually with the average CPI for the preceding financial year, the baseline amount of R 1 200 p.m. negotiated in 2015 was a compromise position at that stage. It is believed that a housing allowance of R 2 500 p.m. is a more realistic allowance taking into account current house prices and rentals.
Some of the provisions of the Government Employees Housing Scheme have also been problematic from the start. The fact that the full housing allowance, or a portion thereof (depending on when an employee entered the public service), is paid into an individual-linked savings facility for employees who rent, does not alleviate the rental demands of many. While for some this might be a way to save to eventually assist them in purchasing a property, others would rather have the allowance assist them with their rent. It is believed that it would be fairer to all if the savings facility in the housing scheme was to become optional.
The housing allowance was negotiated as a benefit to employees. It is therefore unfair that an employee should forfeit his/her accumulated benefit in the savings facility when he she resigns.
Capped leave
Because of the financial pressures that public servants are under, many need financial assistance to fund expenses in the period before they reach retirement age. It is believed that the employer should allow those employees who have capped leave, to have such leave paid out them in full or in part before retirement. This will be in line with National Treasury’s investigation into the possible limited withdrawal of pension funds to assist workers.
Improved qualifications
Ministers of Public Service and Administration continually allude to the professionalization of the public service. Encouraging employees to improve their qualifications is an important element in achieving this goal, but then it must be made worth the employee’s effort because ultimately the employer and the public service will benefit. It is believed that the improvement of qualifications should therefore be made more attractive to employees. The current benefit of 10% of annual salary, limited to salary level 8.1, therefore needs to be improved.
Filling of funded posts
There are too many funded posts in the public service that remain unfilled, putting pressure on employees who are in service to plug these gaps. The employer needs to commit to the filling of funded vacancies within an agreed time frame. A period of six months should be more than reasonable. As part of the filling of posts, all beginner teachers (Self-funded, Funza Lushaka, ETDP Seta Bursary holders) should be given equal opportunity to access teaching posts.
As indicated above, NAPTOSA’s demands will feed into further Labour structures. It is important to note that in this process of discussions and compromises the demands of individual unions may be adapted or left off the final consolidated Labour demands.
Click on the link to complete the survey: https://forms.gle/n1x1owuQj2PgtNaF8
by admin | Feb 28, 2022 | ARCHIVES, NEWSROOM
NAPTOSA is shocked by the judgement delivered by the Constitutional Court today that the State as employer was within its rights to walk away from Public Service Co-ordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC) Resolution 1 of 2018 by not implementing the third leg of the agreement to grant public servant the negotiated salary increases with effect from 1 April 2020.
The judgement means that the employer managed to convince the Court that its negotiators had not fulfilled all the legal mandate requirements for the third year of the agreement before appending a signature on behalf of the employer to the collective agreement.
This flies in the face of good faith bargaining. While NAPTOSA and the other public service trade unions were engaged in negotiations with the employer, believing that their negotiators bargained from a mandated position, the employer always kept an ace up their sleeve. By having a multi-layered mandating process, the employer was always in a position to argue that one or the other mandate had been lacking. It was impossible for the unions to know whether the employer’s negotiators had the requisite mandates or not.
Although the employer won the court case, they have lost the trust of the unions to the PSCBC. In a single act (not to implement the agreed salary increase for 2020) the employer managed to dismantle the trust relationship that had been built between the public service trade unions and the employer over a period of more than 20 years since the inception of the PSCBC.
While we are unhappy with the outcome of the judgement, we are nevertheless glad that it came before the Collective Bargaining Summit, arranged by the PSCBC, is to take place from 28 to 30 March 2022. The issue of trust is sure to dominate proceedings at the Summit.
What NAPTOSA finds really frustrating is that, although the employer argued the non-implementation of the 2020 salary increase on a mandating technicality, we all know that it stems from a National Treasury austerity approach. The Minister of Finance, in comments to the press, attributed the “unacceptable” size of the public service wage bill to above inflation salary increases over a number of years. This is astonishing because it purports that the employer did not play any role in this. Or is the Minister arguing that those increases (which we dispute were excessive) were also not properly mandate on the employer side?
Salary negotiations for 2022 is to commence shortly in the PSCBC. The employer can be assured that the losses suffered by public servants from 2020 will feature strongly in the negotiation process.
