South African Council of Churches employees say their rejection of the retrenchment notices that stipulate the end of July as their last working day is largely due to the fact that the proposal aims to include the salaries for May and June, which are still owing, as part of their retrenchment packages.
"We were paid our February salaries in May and March and April in June," said an SACC staffer, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"Also, as part of the retrenchment, we are supposed to get one week's pay for each year of service – but they are calculating it based on the basic salary as opposed to our gross. We have consulted a labour expert who advised us not to sign it."
A statement by the SACC employees states that the notices were unanimously rejected and indicated that they would be at their offices come August 1. "There can be no retrenchments without arrears payments being concluded and and detailed consultations on the proposed restructuring of the SACC."
The notices of retrenchments come after staff were served with notices of "intent to restructure and possible retrenchment" dated March 5, which stated that the "implementation of possible retrenchments" would take effect on April 1, with the last day of April being the last working day.
"Future re-employment will be considered," the letter stated, "should the SACC maybe again operate on a sound financial footing."
The statement claims that the "failure of the [SACC's national executive committee] to consult the staff of the SACC is a symptom of individual interests, agendas and power struggles which contradicts the ethos of the SACC operating in a post-apartheid, constitutionally democratic South Africa.
General secretary Mautji Pataki said the staff were correct about the illegality of the current proposed retrenchments, but pointed out that the SACC were not legal experts.
"The issue is now open for discussion. They are not raising anything that is unreasonable. The law is based on interpretation and we are open to any further interpretation of the [Labour Relations] Act."
Pataki said he was sure an agreement could be reached moving forward. According to the retrenchment process, Pataki will be the only staff member left in the organisation, out of 38 national employees.
Earlier this year, Pataki had played down the notice of "intent to restructure and possible retrenchments", which staff felt was merely a step away from the closure of the organisation, saying "there are many options to pursue with restructuring that do not necessarily involve cutting down staff".
While the organisation's leadership has steadfastly pointed the finger at dwindling funding – saying it is par for the course for organisations reliant on donations – insiders have said that political irrelevance and ideological differences may have contributed to the current situation.
Theologians linked to the organisation believe that its "strategic capability to be critical has been depleted" and it no longer enjoys political leverage and influence.
As a result, its currency locally and internationally has depreciated.
Others have pointed out that president Jacob Zuma snubbed the traditional churches that comprise the SACC in favour of those preaching "the gospel of prosperity", leaving the council without the ear of the president.