‘Sickening,’ that’s how the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) feels about the local municipality’s intention to retrench 41 percent of its workforce by January 2019.
The union has spoken out after it received notice from Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality about the mass retrenchments.
“In its application to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), the municipality claims that it is in a dire financial state, which necessitates for the reduction of costs to re-establish service delivery. The municipality further claims that its liquidity challenges are as a result of salary disparities which increased its wage bill,” explained SAMWU KZN Provincial Secretary Jaycee Ncanana.
During recent Ratepayers Association meetings, it was confirmed that the municipality was paying about 80 percent of their revenue towards salaries.
Majority of these staff were employed under the government’s Extended Public Works Programme, which aims to provide temporary employment. However, it was revealed that a large percentage of these staff members have become permanent employees, earning a large salary.
This was one of the biggest strains on the municipality’s coffers, as confirmed during a meeting with the Administrator Thandolwethu Manda and association’s committee.
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Mr Manda told the committee that he was meeting with officials from the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) to look at ways to reduce staff, in order to cut costs at the cash-strapped municipality.
However, SAMWU intends on challenging this decision, saying the union is the last line of defence for staff who stand to lose their jobs.
“Community members should also take a stand against this decision as it will not only affect service delivery in their municipality but also increase the levels of unemployment in the community. We remain convinced that the municipality and these jobs can be saved,” said Mr Ncanana.
Speaking about tightening their financial belt, without mass retrenchments, Mr Ncanana said: “Despite that fact that the municipality claims to be in dire financial pressure, it still has a security contract worth R2.3 million in place while millions more are wasted as a result of outsourcing. SAMWU is of the view that the municipality can be salvaged if all outsourcing contracts including security were terminated with all these services being done in house by municipal workers.”
Inkosi Langalibalele Local Municipality Municipal Manager Patrick Mkhize was given an opportunity to add the municipality’s view but no response was received.
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