Home Affairs to turn into ‘security department’ so it can open on Saturdays

Home Affairs Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, said his department “desperately” wants to operate on Saturdays but a labour union stalemate over overtime has scuppered its plans. To get around this, the department wants to be reclassified.

HOME AFFAIRS ‘DESPERATELY’ WANTS TO OPERATE ON SATURDAY

Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) MP Rosina Komane asked Motsoaledi why the Department of Home Affairs is no longer operating on Saturdays and how the discontinued working hours were affecting the functioning of the department, in a parliamentary question.

“The Department desperately want Home Affairs offices to open on Saturdays. The type of services rendered by Home Affairs offices fall in the same category as services rendered by Police Services and Clinics,” wrote Motsoaledi, in reply.

The Minister said labour unions referred the matter to the Public Service Coordinating Bargaining Council (PSCBC), opening it up to negotiations, which eventually ended in a stalemate.

Motsoaledi said the department wanted weekend work to be done via a shift system “the same way Police and Nurses do.”

Unions, however, wanted the same employees who worked during the week to be paid overtime for working on the weekend.

The department said if it acquiesced to the unions’ demand, it would be “forced into paying overtime for life.”

“The Department has submitted to Cabinet a Home Affairs Bill which will change the nature of Home Affairs Department into a security Department which is entitled to open on weekends,” revealed the Minister.

Motsoaledi said the lack of weekend hours has negatively affected the department because long queues could be reduced through Saturday work.

He added that clients who work during the week and have no time to visit the offices are especially affected. “Ironically, I believe this affects members of unions the most.”