Fired North West Parks and Tourism employees face a bleak future

Workers ignored a court order

- By Boitumelo Tshehle

The fate of seven fired employees at the North West Parks and Tourism Board hangs in the balance after their union’s demands for their reinstatement failed to convince the board’s management.

Members of the National Education, Health, and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu) braved the rain on Friday to march to the North West premier’s office to submit their memorandum of demands, which included the immediate reinstatement of all fired employees.

The employees, all shop stewards stationed at Madikwe Game Reserve, were shown the door last Friday following a court order to cease the disruption.

For the past five weeks, the employees have been on a wage strike. Initially, they demanded that their salaries be paid on time and that the board increase their salaries.

The union’s Ngaka Modiri Molema regional secretary, Thabo Shuping, said the union intended to take legal action against the department if its members were not at work by Monday.