MAKHADO – In adhering to warders' demands and in an effort to prevent a looming strike, the Department of Correctional Services agreed to pay prison warders their overtime money.

The positive response of Correctional Services follows a demand by the Police and Civil Rights Union (Popcru), when submitting a memorandum containing demands of warders on February 16, at the Makhado Correctional Services. Speaking to Mirror, the chairperson of Popcru in Makhado, Mr Edwin Mashau, said there was a breakthrough with regard to the overtime dispute.

He said that the department had agreed that prison warders and officials who worked overtime would be paid according to the prescribed policy related to overtime.

With regard to the students coming from the correctional college, who have not yet become correctional officers, grade III, Mashau said that the department promised Popcru members that students' salaries would be adjusted starting from April and with the last group in May.