LOUIS TRICHARDT - A group of Census Supervisors are up in arms because of an alleged refusal of the Provincial Head of Statistics South Africa to pay out their salaries and car allowances.

"The Provincial Head, Mr Osborn Ntshagovhe met one of our group of complainants a week or two ago in the Nzhelele area and told him that we could forget about the money ever being paid out. And that after we were promised in the conciliation meeting that we would receive our salaries before Christmas," said an angry complainant on January, 14 this year.

On November 9, last year the Zoutpansberger carried the news of the complaints of these census workers, which are still unresolved.

Eight out of a group of about 24 underpaid Lister/Census Supervisors have now decided that they are going to fight the battle for their remuneration until the bitter end. They stated that their first letter to the Regional Manager, Pastor John Mphaphuli evoked no response. A meeting followed at the Department of Labour in Pietersburg on November 20, 2001 where among others were present the Provincial Head Mr Osborn Ntshagovhe, the Provincial Census Manager, Mr K Malatji and the Human Resource Manager, Mr Richard Serote. "We were promised that our complaints would receive attention, but again nothing happened," said the spokesperson who wished to remain anonymous.

"From there we proceeded to a conciliation meeting on December 14 at the Labour Office in Louis Trichardt, where Pastor Mphaphuli and Messrs Ntshagovhe, HK Grobler (Logistic Manager of Census) and D Netsianda (Labour Officer) were present. No agreement could be reached on the car allowance money, but we were promised that we would receive our outstanding salaries before Christmas.

"We are tired of lies and promises. Our Regional Manager, Pastor John Mphaphuli promised us many times that we would receive our money. He said that he was a theologian and we could take his word."

Alleged verbal promises did not help the group much, nor did the written document that stated that the Lister Supervisors who used their own vehicles would receive R187 per Enumeration Area (EA). They state that although some of the supervisors were assigned more than 20 EA's they were each paid out only for 20 EA's. "On October 24 we were forced to sign for 20 EA's and fill in a new log book that showed that we did 20 EA's, though we do have the log books reflecting the true numbers of EA's that each of us covered with our own cars. Where Pastor Mphaphuli previously said that we would get all our money, he later changed stories and said it would not help us to take the matter further, it would cost us lawyers," stated the spokesperson.

According to a document drawn up by the group the outstanding amounts for car allowances owed to the individual Lister Supervisors ranged from R5 000 to R15 000.

The same document stated that an amount of R1283,33 per Census Supervisor is still outstanding as salary. According to a written complaint the initial contract document is quoted on page 2: "Your employment will be from 02 August 2001 until when the tasks pertaining to the Listing will be completed". Further down on the same page it is stated that they would receive a monthly salary of R3 500. The complainants explained that they received no remuneration for seven days in August and eleven days in September, although they reported for duty.

"To show the inconsistency, I can say that one person from the group received his whole remuneration for August whereas none of the others did. Another person who resigned after a couple of days, got R4 000; so there is possible maladministration, also shown by the fact that the contracts that were eventually processed used a wrong date, 20 August instead of 02 August. We took this job because we are unemployed and we need the money that is rightfully ours," said the spokesperson.

When contacted Pastor Mphaphuli refused to make any comment. Mr Osborn Netshaghovhe stated telephonically this week that there were no outstanding salaries to be paid and no such promise was made at the meeting. He said that the complainants had mentioned at the meeting that they had no confidence in the Provincial Office and wanted to go straight to Head Office in an unprocedural manner.