NEHAWU Calls For Intervention At CETA
Monday April 25, 2022
The National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union [NEHAWU] calls for the intervention of the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology at the Construction Education & Training Authority (CETA).
The CETA was previously placed under Administration by the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology following allegations of mismanagement by the former Accounting Authority and Accounting Official. Following the process of administration, a new CEO, Melusi Shezi was appointed in 2021.
Since his appointment, the CEO has gone out of his way to destabilise the institution through his autocratic leadership and intransigent management style. The national union has witnessed maladministration and instability at the CETA under his leadership. We have witnessed the continuous abuse of power and total disregard to governance.
We have witnessed union bashing and victimisation of shop stewards by the CEO of the Construction Education & Training Authority (CETA). The CEO has also denied the union its organisational rights to organise its members at the institution.
Our members have been subjected to continuous victimisation and intimidation by the CEO for raising issues related to maladministration at the CETA which amongst others entail the following:
- Management of CETA flying business class and travelling with luxury hired cars beyond working hours.
- Exorbitant rental for the administrator in posh apartments
- Irregular skills audit that has demoralised staff. Our members have been moved to units they do not qualify in and the employer is making no commitments towards staff training and development.
- Pension Fund Benefits.
- Intimidation and abuse of staff where the CETA used armed security guards wearing military uniform.
- Unfair suspension of our members.
- Use of consultants costing the CETA millions on something that ordinary employees can perform.
- Irrational salary grading and unilateral changes of HR policies
As NEHAWU, we shall not fold our arms whilst the CEO together with his Management at CETA have embarked on a deliberate process of collapsing the institutional as a national asset of this country. Under the current CEO, the CETA will fail to meet its objective of providing skills development service to the construction sector and ensure that our people obtain the critical or scarce skills that are needed to build the capacity of the sector to become economically sustainable.
As NEHAWU, having witnessed the maladministration and instability at the CETA under Shezi’s leadership, we have decided to write to the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology for intervention before it’s too late. We have an ultimatum of seven (7) working days to respond to the plight of our members and employees at this institution otherwise the union shall rendered the CETA ungovernable and its system unworkable.
The union calls on the Minister to urgently intervene at CETA and ensure proper governance and administration is restored at the institution. We further call for the removal of the CEO, Melusi Shezi with immediate effect as he has proven beyond reasonable doubt that his incapable of leading the organisation of significant like CETA and his inability to lead institutional development project.
While waiting for Minister’s intervention, the national union will be busy developing a programme to mobilise its members and employees at the CETA for a real fight that would be concretised on the 03rd May 2022. The aim of this program of action is to send categorically a clear message to the employer that our members and workers will fight tooth and nail in defence of their hard-won rights. Indeed, this is the fight worth to pursue by the national union as its members are prepared to hold the bull by its horns and even more willing to sleep with the hyena.
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Issued by NEHAWU Secretariat
Zola Saphetha (General Secretary) at 082 558 5968;
December Mavuso (Deputy General Secretary) at 082 558 5969;
Lwazi Nkolonzi (NEHAWU National Spokesperson) at 081 558 2335 or email: lwazin@nehawu.org.za Visit https://www.nehawu.org.za