Samwu accuses Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink of ‘peddling lies’ over strike

The City of Tshwane has so fired a total 100 employees since the strike started on 28th July 2023.

Tshwane Mayor, Cilliers Brink briefs media as SATAWU protests outside Tshwane House in Pretoria, 26 July 2023. They are protesting about increases in their pay. Picture Neil McCartney

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has accused the City of Tshwane executive mayor Cilliers Brink of “peddling lies” and portraying the union and its members as “criminals who have resorted to violent actions to get their frustrations addressed”.

The comes after city’s urgent application to the Labour Court for a contempt application was dismissed on Monday on the grounds the matter was not urgent, and not on merits.

The city said the ruling had no bearing on the interim interdict granted to the city on 28 July which declared Samwu’s strike unlawful and unprotected and barred employees from intimidating their fellow colleagues.

It also directed them to refrain from damaging the city’s property and any private or public property.

“Concocted outcomes”

Samwu in a statement said Brink took to social media with a “concocted version of the outcomes of the Labour Court to serve his administration’s narrative about the union”.

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“What Cllr Brink conveniently omits in his false narrative is that the Labour Court heard arguments from both the city and the union for hours, resulting in the Judge dismissing the application as it did not comply with Rule 13 of the Supreme Court Act.

“The lies being peddled by Cllr Brink seeks to create an impression that the justice system which the city has resorted to, in denying workers salary and wage increases stands with the city. The only court order which is currently in place is a rule nisi, a temporary order granted by the courts while awaiting a matter to be fully heard by a court,” the union said.

ALSO READ: City of Tshwane fires ‘ring leaders’ behind unprotected and unlawful strike

Ringleaders fired

Meanwhile, the City of Tshwane has dismissed seven shop stewards they claim were the ‘ring leaders’ behind the recent unlawful and unprotected strike in the city.

This brings the total to 100 employees fired since the strike started on 28th July 2023.

Workers are protesting over wage increases.

City of Tshwane spokesperson Selby Bokaba said six are shop stewards based at the city’s Middestad Building in the CBD. The seventh, based in Region 4, was dismissed for intimidation.

ALSO READ: Samwu demands that Tshwane take responsibility for attack on employee