Durban — The eThekwini Municipality’s striking refuse collection workers have vowed to continue with their strike despite a court interdict that was obtained by the City.
After downing tools on Tuesday, leaving waste in parts of the city uncollected, the City management responded by going to court on Wednesday to force the workers back, arguing that the strike was illegal.
However, the workers ignored the interdict and instead intensified their action by invading a council meeting at Durban's International Convention Centre (ICC) on Thursday, demanding that the council take a resolution to employ all 5 000 temporary workers who have been operating under the Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP).
Addressing workers outside the ICC, the eThekwini regional secretary of the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa, Matusa Thokozani Maxego, said they demanded that council speaker Thabani Nyawose included their demand on the agenda.
Nyawose ignored their demand.
The workers demanded to see eThekwini Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, but he also refused to oblige, saying no appointment had been made.
Maxego stated that the workers felt undermined and vowed to continue with the strike.
“We won’t back down until our demand is met. EPWP workers have been exploited for too long now and we demand to be permanently employed. It’s now or never,” Maxego said.
Earlier in the day, workers had started blocking Mangosuthu Highway near the Mega City Mall in Umlazi with burning tyres.
In a statement on Thursday, the City said it had obtained a court interdict against the striking workers, affirming its commitment to the safety and security of law-abiding residents, and added that the strike was unauthorised and unlawful.
The City admitted the strike action had affected some operations of the municipality and service delivery.
It said it was extremely concerned about the violence accompanied by intimidation and damage to property caused in the name of striking workers.
“The interdict against striking employees, as well as those who are members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union, prohibits any unlawful conduct, acts of violence and interference with the City's activities, services, and operations.
“It further restrains the striking employees from intimidating, harassing, assaulting, threatening or perpetuating acts of violence against employees, service providers or those accessing offices or workstations.
“The order also mandates employees to comply with their contracts of employment and comply with the act, as committing unlawful conduct constitutes misconduct, and this could result in disciplinary action,” the City warned.
The municipality said to date no formal memorandum of demands had been submitted to the City by the union, but it had raised issues around re-categorisation of municipal workers from grade 8 to 10 so that salaries of employees could be on par with those of other metros in the country.
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