Municipal workers in Ventersdorp are fed up

Municipal workers in Ventersdorp exploded onto the streets in protest, last week 

This came after receiving no response from the municipality following the submission of a memorandum that demanded a response regarding contract workers.  On 16 September 2021 the workers embarked on a peaceful protest. The office of the MEC of local government sent Mr Cosby Maema to collect the memorandum on behalf of the municipality.

To date, workers haven’t received a response.

 Among the issues raised was that the municipality operates using policies that are  not approved by the  council such as the recruitment and selection policy

“According to labour law an employer cannot allow people to be on a contract for more than six months and yet J.B. Marks municipality has contracted people for more than five years, creating expectation and hope for those on contracts,”  the memorandum stated. The workers argue that contract workers were interviewed and instead of being appointed permanently, they were offered renewed contracts.

“The municipality should stop increasing the number of new contract workers,” the protesters argued. 

“There is discrimination and favouritism happening within the Tlokwe Region. Some personnel are given preference twice in two years while others aren’t considered over a period of 10 years,” the memorandum continued.

Protestors demanded that the way things are done in Potchefstroom must equally be done in Ventersdorp.

“We have employees who have acted from 2016 and 2019 and to date they have not received their rightful allowances,” the memorandum reads.  Since the memo was submitted on September, 16, workers demanded a response within 7 days. The mayor has since asked for a further 14-day extension.

The Herald asked the municipality for comment received nothing by the time of publication.