‘Pay back our money’
Workers were not prepared to wait for the following day. They shouted insulting slogans and songs saying they won't give up until they get a reply from the employers.
Lack of communication created anger within the South African Municipal Workers Union members (SAMWU) and Independent Municipal and Allied Union (IMATU). These two unions ended up embarking on an illegal strike last Wednesday.These unions members were demanding that eNdumeni municipality pay back their leave encashment. About 20 workers protested outside the municipality building.
According to one of the shop stewards from SAMWU, Siya Ngwenya, workers are demanding that council pay back eight days leave money that the council owes them. Ngwenya said workers are entitled to 24 days leave. “We are entitled to take only 16 days and for the rest of the days the council must pay us money as was agreed on some many years back,” Ngwenya added.
The Acting eNdumeni Municipal Manager, Sakhile Zulu, told workers that they had embarked on an illegal strike. Zulu appealed to the workers to be patient until the next morning when they will discuss the matter with the unions. The newly appointed Corporate Manager, Martin Hlengane, also emphasised to the workers that they had involved themselves in an unprotected strike.
Hlengane said the officials and union reps were busy checking the law as to find a solution. “We don’t want the situation where the municipality pays this money to the workers and later workers are forced to pay it back. Protesters were shouting claiming that other workers encashed their leave as from last December up until the beginning of January this year.
Workers were not prepared to wait for the following day. Instead they were shouting insulting slogans and songs claiming that they won’t give up until they get a reply from the employers on when they are going to encash their leave days.
The Courier understands that in terms of the Municipal policy and the collective agreement between the South African Local Government Association, the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union, South African Municipal Workers Union came into operation on 1 January 2007 and that all employees must take a minimum of 16 days accrued leave per leave cycle.
Furthermore an employee may encash a maximum of eight days in any leave cycle subject to conditions. The encashment of leave in terms of this section is not an automatic right and shall only be permitted when approved by the municipal manager under special circumstances relating to a family responsibility or cases of emergency. Last Thursday, the Corporate Manager, Mr Hlengane, addressed the press meeting attended by two representatives from SAMWU and IMATU.
Mr Hlengane invited the Courier and representatives from both unions to a press meeting. He told the meeting that the issue concerning encashment had been resolved. Mr Hlengane said the employees would be allowed to encash their leave days up until June this year.
He said after that there would be an agreement where employees would be allowed to encash their leave days if they had more than 48 days. Raj Naidoo, an official from Endumeni representing IMATO, and Nokuzola Ngobese, an Endumeni official representing SAMWU both agreed with Mr Hlengane and emphasised that there would be another broad consultation.
