Pretoria - The Johannesburg Labour Court has granted the Department of Correctional Services an interdict against striking department officials.
According to the interdict granted at the weekend, all POPCRU members who are members or employees of the Department of Correctional Services are interdicted from embarking on the strike as well as from promoting, encouraging or supporting participation in a strike by all employees of correctional services.
"This now means that all officials of the department irrespective of their union affiliations are reminded through interdicts that as employees of an essential service institution, they are prohibited from striking," said the department in a statement.
The department resubmitted an application for an interdict against POPCRU after a provisional withdrawal of the application on Friday in order to provide more concrete evidence of union members' violations of the Labour Relations Act.
The steps taken by the department followed POPCRU's call for its members to embark on the strike action as part of a broader industrial dispute currently affecting the public service in South Africa.
Acting National Commissioner of Correctional Services Siphiwe Sokhela has welcomed the Labour Court's decision as an important step towards ensuring the safety and security of officials, inmates, service providers and the public.
Sokhela reiterated his earlier appreciation of the discipline and commitment of the vast majority of correctional officials to continued service delivery. However he said those who had participated in the strike action would face disciplinary processes.
