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Legalbrief   |   your legal news hub Thursday 28 March 2024

Nehawu mobilises for Sassa strike over biometrics

In what may affect payment of grants to millions of beneficiaries, Nehawu has warned that it was ‘at an advanced stage’ of mobilising for a full-blown countrywide Sassa strike, commencing today (Wednesday). The Citizen quotes Nehawu general secretary Zola Saphetha as saying that the strike is due to ‘the refusal’ of Sassa management to resolve technical glitches brought about by the migration of the social grant payment system from Cash Paymaster Services to the South African Post Office. Sassa staff, said Saphetha, expressed unhappiness and anxiety about the biometric enrolment for beneficiaries – ‘a new function that workers were not consulted on, which the employer implemented unilaterally. The system has numerous flaws – at the detriment of beneficiaries who rely on social grants for existence as well as workers.’