Five SARS branches in the Western Cape are currently closed as staff participate in a wage strike nationwide. Twenty-one of SARS’s tax branches have halted operations in eight of the country’s provinces.
The branches in Cape Town city centre, Mitchells Plain, Paarl, Beaufort West and Bellville are currently closed due to the strike action.
In an online statement by the tax revenue service, it addresses the situation:
“SARS apologises for any inconvenience caused but due to Industrial Action taking place across SARS, we are experiencing delays in servicing our taxpayers. Please continue to make use of our digital services during this time,” it reads.
Today’s strike continues previous wage strike efforts that started in May when the company and its workers could not settle on Eskom and SARS’s proposed wage increase of 1.39%, as reported by Business Tech.
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) and Public Servants Association (PSA) now continues with the industrial action in order to reach the “reasonable and achievable demands and rights” previously requested.
“We are together with Nehawu on this. We are still stuck at 1.39% and it has been rejected. We believe that the only thing that will unlock the matter of negotiations is a strike,” said spokesperson for the PSA, Reuben Maleka, as per Fin24.
SARS has stated that it can’t meet labour demands of CPI plus 7% since it does not have the necessary resources.
“SARS has left us with no option other than to mobilise our mass power and take our battle to the streets. This is the only power that we have as workers in fighting unfair conditions of work. We have been negotiating in good faith and with much patience,” Nehawu said.
“SARS has stalled and negotiated in bad faith. It is for these reasons that as Nahwu, we cannot delay the struggle to better the working conditions of our members and workers in general.
“As Nehawu, we shall do everything in our power to fight for these reasonable and achievable demands and rights of our members and workers at SARS.”
SARS expects more branches might close to join the strike and it informs taxpayers that the list of closed tax branches and customs offices will be updated throughout the day.
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Picture: Waldo Swiegers / Bloomberg