Prison warders will be back at work nationwide this weekend after a last-minute resolution to the staffing crisis, the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (Popcru) said on Friday.
Popcru will call off the strike and the Department of Correctional Services has agreed to increase the weekend staff component back to 46% of weekday numbers, Abbey Witbooi, the union secretary general, said on Friday.
He said there is a commitment on both sides to normalise things.
The situation looked dire on Thursday night when Popcru said it would defy a court interdict preventing the warders from striking.
”They [the department] have not been talking to us. We have been running after them all week,” said Boas Motjetsi, the deputy president of Popcru.
The dispute arose when the department announced it would reduce the weekend staff numbers by about 30%.
”It would have been dangerous for us to come to work on the weekends,” said Motjetsi.
Further discussions between the department and the union will continue next week. — Sapa