Cape Town – The countrywide strike by 10111 call centre operators has temporarily been suspended, the South African Policing Union said on Friday.
An estimated 5 000 operators, represented by SAPU, started striking on Tuesday when negotiations reached a deadlock with the South African Police Service (SAPS) over increased pay.
SAPU is calling on the operators' salary level to be increased by two notches, an estimated increase of R50 000 per annum.
SAPU general secretary Oscar Skommere said the strike has been suspended to allow for CCMA negotiations to continue without any pressure.
“As a responsible and progressive union we have decided to temporarily suspend our industrial action for the benefit of the public we serve,” Skommere said in a statement.
He urged that the suspension of the strike should not be viewed by SAPS management as the union “giving in to their [SAPS’] arrogance”.
Police officers were deployed to 10111 call centres from Tuesday evening to fill the positions vacated by striking employees.
SAPS spokesperson Sally De Beer previously told News24 that police had put contingency plans in place to ensure the 10111 emergency services were delivered to the public.