MBOMBELA – An unprotected strike by municipal workers put a negative spin Mandela Day celebrations last Friday.
The striking waste-services workers blocked the entrance to the civic centre and municipal offices with refuse trucks. In addition, household rubbish was not removed in various suburbs throughout the city.
The parked trucks caused a traffic congestion on the corner of Nel and Rood streets while the workers congregated in the amphitheatre at the entrance to the building. They claimed they had not been paid for working overtime.
Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesman for the Mbombela Local Municipality apologised, saying it should never have happened. He explained that workers get paid for the overtime in their next pay check (in this case next week). However, in this case the proper procedures had not been followed.
“Overtime is worked on a need basis. It has to be applied for and approved before the work is done.”
He said that workers would still be paid, since they could not be penalised for their superiors who did not follow the correct procedure. “Managers must begin to manage and not be managed,” Ngala said.
On Friday, acting municipal manager, Mr Sello Ditshego had to step in to calm the strikers. He said he would get to the bottom of who had approved the overtime and meet with the workers again today (Tuesday).
They peacefully dispersed, removing the trucks to restore normal traffic flow and returned to work. One of the organisers, who would only identify himself as John, told Lowvelder that it was their 67 minutes for Mandela Day – reverting back to the old days when people used demonstrations to act against injustice. Ngala said they needed to develop a culture of work and respect for authority.
View the pictures of waste-services workers rubbishing Mandela Day here.
