THE SILENT SCREAM FINDS VOICE......THE SALARY ISSUE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Social media this week swarmed with comments on the salary issue of child and youth care workers in South Africa. I have no doubt that two social media  threads in particular, unleashed  the barrage of comment. One was the release of the petition mentioned in my last blog. The other, possibly my last blog. The two resonate. Full credit to the child and youth care worker/s who initiated the petition.

A comment on social media I thought was pertinent was that child and youth care workers have not been voiceless,........ they have been silent for a long time. Well, they are not silent now.    I am getting report that in every forum and gathering of child and youth care workers, the silent scream has voice. The petition is gaining momentum and there is a call for all the so called principal role players to address the issue as a matter of urgency. 

The petition is fast gaining momentum. I did say that I looked forward to the wording. 
Here it is:....and I quote...
                               " Better working conditions and salaries for child and youth care workers.
                                   Child and youth care workers in South Africa have hit a stumbling block and are frustrated by their working conditions. At the same time they are grossly underpaid  and some departments don't even recognise them as professionals.
                                     Most of these child and youth care workers/professionals don't have a voice in the sector. A number of child and youth care workers/ professionals have come together from different provinces. We seek to meet the Minister of Social Development face to face in parliament to get answers about:
          *professionalisation of the field
          *implementing the regulations that were signed in 2014
          *clarity about the representatives and their roles in the child and youth care sector
           *clarity on the registration of child and youth care workers
           *hiring child and youth care workers in Government Departments e.g we cannot have professionals speak our child and youth care language to manage us
            *how long do internships last and permanent employment commence?"  End of quote.

The wording of the petition does cover the issues that have , over the last weeks, been raised in the social media. It captures the mind of South African child and youth care workers.

What I like about it is its diplomacy. Petitions are most frequently couched in the language of demand. This calls for clarity and an opportunity to have a voice heard directly by the Minister.

I have signed the petition

Last year there was a strike of social workers and child and youth care workers which lasted six weeks. It was a legitimately recognised strike and initiated by a trade union in support and within the constitutional right to strike and collectively bargain . There were 13 demands addressed  to the Department of Social Development. I don't remember the detail, but I do remember that the demands covered the issues of salaries, salary levels and the working conditions of social workers and child and youth care workers. These demands were agreed  and a date set for implementation. It didn't materialise. Indications were that funding was not available for implementation. '

We are approaching a new financial year in the next few days. This coincides with the timing of the groundswell voice of child and youth care workers and their petition. The profession and its petition come together at a critical moment.

Again, what I like about the petition is its unthreatening style. It doesn't put out the message ...."and if not... then!!!!"  No immediate threats of strikes or other protest action which is a constitutional right but, for child and youth care workers in South Africa, has implications as professionals regulated by a code of ethical conduct and the labour regulations for their catagorisation as an essential service. (.....a subject for another blog)

 Child and youth care workers in South Africa are not without voice.   The silent scream has found voice. Child and youth care workers are talking for themselves. 

 From the very beginning of the child and youth care struggle in South Africa there has been an emphasis on empowerment......Way to go....VIVA!