Unemployed Social Workers March to Union Building, Give Presidency 72 Hours to Address Demands

• Frustrated unemployed social workers took to the streets on Tuesday, 30 August, and marched to the presidency at Union Building
• The social workers demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa intervene and create permanent employment for them
• The unemployed social workers have given the presidency 72 hours to address their concerns, but it’s likely the deadline will not be met

PRETORIA - Unemployed social workers descended on the Union Building in Pretoria on Tuesday, 30 August, to demand permanent employment.

Adorned in their graduation gowns and with qualification certificates in hand, almost 100 social workers participated in the march.

The frustrated social workers demanded that President Cyril Ramaphosa step in and secure them long-term employment.

Their demands include an end to internship programs extending beyond 12 months, scrapping the 35-year age restriction for employment, and discontinuing contract work in favour of permanent positions, TimesLIVE reported.

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The unemployed social workers have also demanded that the Presidency supplement them with a monthly R 7 000 stipend while they search for permanent employment.

The Council for Social Practitioners reported that South Africa has approximately 9 000 unemployed social work graduates.

According to SABC News, the Presidency has been given a 72-hour deadline to assess and address the concerns of the social workers.

Many of the frustrated social workers who participated in the march travelled from different parts of South Africa to have their concerns heard.

Zolani Madondo, an unemployed social worker, says that social workers are important in fighting social ills in communities and schools.

Madondo said:

“We need the president and minister of social development to prioritise us. They should stop funding NGOs and hire us directly.”

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The 35-year-old, on the cusp of the employment age restriction, said she graduated in 2016 yet has never been permanently employed.

It seems unlikely that the 72-hour deadline will be met. An official from the Presidency met the protestors outside the Union Building and told them their demand would be forwarded to Ramaphosa. He assured the scores of unemployed workers that they would receive a letter of acknowledgement but that this normally takes up to 14 working days.

South Africans react to the social workers' march to Union Building

Some South Africans think the social workers’ demands are unreasonable, while others agree that they must be employed to address the social issues in the country.

Here are some reactions:

@Thabiso54510696 commented:

“Mohau, a chance to prove that we all have one vision and mission, to help our children and society to eradicate social ills ”

@LambLovesThyme said:

“Stipend?! Then all graduates should receive stipends..where do they think we are?!”

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@RekordNewspaper suggested:

“Our govt must employ 5 social workers in each dept. of education, district to help children and teachers in schools to deal with social and emotional issues they have if we are serious about education. This will find jobs for all these social workers and others still to come.”

National shutdown: government bans civil servants from protesting during work hours, says “no work, no pay”

In a related matter, Briefly News reported that essential service workers are not allowed to participate in the national shutdown during working hours today (24 August). The planned protest is in response to the high cost of living and the weakening state of the economy.

The Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) issued a stern warning to public servants, saying that the principle of “no work, no pay” would apply to them for the day. In addition, in a statement released by the DPSA, leave would only be granted for extreme and compelling situations.

Source: Briefly News