A small group of about 50 striking South African Post Office (Sapo) workers belonging to the Communication Workers Union (CWU) gathered at the Mary Fitzgerald Square on Friday before marching to Luthuli House, the headquarter of the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

The Sapo workers, who were on their second day of a two-day strike, said they were calling on the ANC to press government to “bailout” the struggling entity.

Sapo chief executive officer, Mark Barnes, who was appointed last year to help rescue the struggling state enterprise, told Parliament in April that Sapo needed R3.5-billion in funding to help the post office emerge from its current financial dire straits.

On Thursday thousands of Sapo workers embarked on the two-day strike over unresolved labour matters and demands for salary increments. However, very few of striking workers turned out for Friday’s march to Luthuli House.

Gauteng CWU provincial structure secretary, Abel Ranku, said: “The purpose of the march is to request the government to bail us out as we are a state entity”.

Barnes had warned workers against the two-day strike, saying such action would only exacerbate the Post Office’s already precarious situation.

Barnes said he understood that there were unresolved issues regarding outstanding salary increases as well as casual work contracts, and that was what he was appointed to fix.

Ranku said two weeks ago Post Office workers delivered a similar memorandum requesting the government to bailout the struggling entity, but there was no response.

Ranku said the workers were again issuing the memorandum on Friday to “add pressure”.

The union said it had been expecting at least 3 000 workers to attend the march, with some being bused from the North West. But only 50 or so turned out.

Explaining the low turn out Raku said: “Many workers said they wouldn’t attend the march after receiving the letter from their CEO, they said they were giving him a chance”.