Prosecutors courting pay row

2005-04-06 18:43

Cape Town - Prosecutors declared a dispute on Wednesday with the department of justice about salaries, claiming the government had reneged on its promises.

Rashied Daniels, chairperson of the Public Servants Association's prosecutors' branch, said: "We have declared an official dispute today and will take the matter for conciliation and then to arbitration, if necessary."

Prosecutors also would boycott all strategic provincial and national meetings with the national prosecuting authority's management.

They have applied to chief magistrates for the right to picket at courts from April 18 to 22.

Daniels and about 20 of his colleagues gave vent to their feelings on Wednesday about the NPA's failure to introduce a new salary structure, after the previous one had been unilaterally removed.

Under the old arrangements, prosecutors were given an initial "substantial" increase after 18 months, and every three years after that, as an incentive to stay in the service.

Justice department accused of failure

"In 2001, this system was removed with a promise that a new system would come in. But nothing has been put in place up to today.

"One can't take away something that was obviously advantageous and not replace it with something else," said Daniels.

He said the department and the justice ministry had failed to implement recommendations contained in a job-evaluation plan, drawn up "at huge cost" with consultants, and which suggested a salary applicable to each post.

Daniels said that while prosecutors were not allowed to strike because they were an essential service, they nonetheless felt they "wanted to down tools".

Daniels said prosecutors were leaving en masse for private practice, with disastrous consequences for the criminal justice system.

He said that, at any district court in the Western Cape, the average experience of a prosecutor was less than six months.

Even with two degrees and five or more years of experience, many were earning as little as R104 000 a year.

Some prosecutors left the service and then offered themselves as contractors to the department, earning about R250 000 a year.

Wynberg regional court control prosecutor Eleanor Mocke said the government made much of addressing crime, but did not want to properly reimburse those at the forefront of combating crime.

Sympathise with their struggle

Western Cape director of public prosecutions Rodney de Kock was not available for comment.

Makhosini Nkosi, an NPA spokesperson, said the matter was receiving attention.

"We appreciate their concerns and we sympathise with their struggle and their problems, but the matter is receiving attention and the prosecutors know that."

Nkosi said NPA national director Vusi Pikoli and deputy chief executive officer Beryl Simelane were looking into the matter.

- SAPA