ALDERMAN ALLAN SAULS writes:
As a property owner paying an amount of R165.21 (excluding VAT) a month for once-weekly refuse removal, I have been noticing regular solid waste collections after hours.
When solid waste is collected, one notices a number of labourers having to take the solid waste bags from the sidewalk and drop same into the back of the truck. Furthermore, this truck zig-zags from property to property to allow labourers to drop the solid waste into the back of the truck, doing so at a rather slow pace.
While one needs to be mindful of the fact that this is a very difficult task, one also notices the relaxed manner of the labourers as they go about their work.
I would like to direct these questions to the labour union leadership and their members: why do labourers find it important to work overtime when completing their duties? Why do the labour union leadership and their members not engage in getting more solid-waste labourers employed by the City of Ekurhuleni?
That way we can avoid overtime worked while giving many thousands of job seekers standing on street corners a job opportunity.
I would like labour unions and their members to explain to paying residents like myself why they exclude possible job opportunities to the many thousands of those who would benefit from having a job opportunity.
The public, including myself, is aware that labour unions and their members determine the working conditions, and not employers. Therefore, I would like labour unions and their members to help ordinary residents understand why their aim appears to be self-enrichment.
