Durban — The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) is set to intensify its strike action in the uThukela District Municipality after talks failed with the municipal management and the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta).
Workers downed tools on March 22, saying that the municipality had violated an agreement signed with the union that ended strike action in late December last year.
KwaZulu-Natal Samwu deputy provincial secretary Xolani Shinga, said that all these issues were supposed to have been resolved by end of January 2023; however, due to the arrogance of the municipal management, none of the time frames that were set between the union and management were met, and as a result the union invoked its right to resuscitate the December strike action, effective March 22.
“According to the December agreement, the municipality committed to ensuring that workers’ grievances which included case management, the health and safety of employees in the workplace would be addressed and that no employee would be forced to go into a workplace that is unsafe,” said Shinga.
Shinga said this was a sign of disregard for sound labour relations within the municipality and that management had absconded from meetings which they had called with the union on March 22, 23 and 28 without giving the union any explanation.
“Instead, the municipality ran to the courts to try and interdict the union and its members from exercising their rights as per the labour laws of the country. We are pleased that on Monday, the Labour Court ruled against the municipality, confirming the rights of workers to embark on a protected strike action,” said Shinga.
Shinga said the workers have a list of demands that the municipality should address.
These include:
– All outstanding payments acknowledged by the employer should be paid by March 31.
– All EPWP employees who have rendered services to the municipality should be paid immediately.
– All occupational health and safety issues should be addressed immediately.
– All employees who were injured on duty should continue being paid by the municipality until their COIDA claims are finalised.
– The municipal manager and all section 56 managers should resign with immediate effect.
– The outsourced water tank tenders should be stopped immediately. The municipality should use its water tank fleet.
– All placement letters issued to employees should be implemented with immediate effect.
– The transfer of employees from Umgeni Water should be subjected to a transfer agreement reduced in writing.
It also called for an end to the politicisation of the working environment.
“The union understands the consequences that come with a strike action which includes limited-service delivery. Before we are municipal workers, we are community members and as such, we too want to benefit from service delivery. Services can, however, not be delivered at the expense of workers’ safety and turning workers into slaves,” said Shinga.
UThukela District Municipality spokesperson Jabulani Mkhonza Workers downed tools last Wednesday because they alleged that the management did not attend to their grievances that were raised last year in December.
“Union Representatives have since met with the Ministerial Representative Mr Nathi Madondo in a bid to resolve the impasse,” he said.
Mkhonza said the two streets circling the uThukela District premises were littered with rubbish and burning tyres, rendering offices inaccessible.
“It is regrettable that the strike disrupted service delivery in the process. The municipality therefore wishes to pass its sincere apology to the community affected by the strike,” said Mkhonza.
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