GEORGE NEWS - Field workers of Stats SA will be paid their full salary for February by Friday 18 March, if all goes according to plan. Field workers throughout the Western Cape received the good news via a newsletter on Monday.

This follows after grievances over outstanding payments were lodged last week. In George a group of about 45 field workers protested on Friday 11 March across the street from the Stats SA regional office in Cradock Street.

Head of Stats SA in the Western Cape Patrick Kelly explained that they originally would have been paid in full after the end of the contract, but their contracts were then extended till 20 March.

"It was a national decision to give an advance so that the field workers are not out of pocket," said Kelly. Problems arose last Friday, 11 March, when some of the fieldworkers had not received the advance.

In a news bulletin on Monday 14 March, fieldworkers are notified that staff at all levels are working around the clock to ensure that payments are ready to be effected in the next payment run on Friday 18 March 2022: 

"You communicated on various platforms, and your voices have been heard. While some of you did not want the advance payment, the majority of you wanted your full payment for the work you did in February. We therefore took a decision to pay everyone who signed a contract between 2 and 28 February the amount owed for work done in February 2022. 

"You will be paid for the number of days you worked multiplied by the rate stipulated in your contract, less any advance amount paid on 11 March."

Locals left dry

Christinah Dyonase, a spokesperson for the group in George, explained last week that they haven't received their February payment, nor the promised advance. 

As with field workers elsewhere, their one-month contract had to be extended until 20 March since all the work has not been completed. 

This was caused by technical problems with the collection application on the tablets.

Kelly said the transfer of data took longer than anticipated, and that load shedding exacerbated the problem. 

"Colleagues in George especially had a problem and we experienced more difficulties than in other areas. It is not really fair on the George field workers, but it would have been unfair to those whose information was already captured and processed if they did not receive their advance on the 11th."

"It was a national decision to give an advance so that the field workers are not out of pocket," said Kelly. Photos: Michelle Pienaar 

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