Waste removers demand ‘full-time’ jobs
“Our people are still being exploited - even after 25 years of democracy.”
Metro waste management employees disrupted traffic in the CBD as they marched to Tshwane House on Tuesday.
Traffic was disrupted and police deployed as waste trucks formed part of the protest by members of the SA Civic Servants Union (Sacsu).
The protest was against so-called “labour brokering” (the outsourcing of casual labour).
“We are here to tell the mayor that we are disappointed in him and the municipality,” said Sacsu president Peter Serobe.
“Our people are still being exploited – even after 25 years of democracy.”
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Serobe said Tshwane waste removers were unhappy working under labour brokers.
He said workers were employed to perform an essential job but were still subject to labour brokering practices.
“Labour brokering is a crime because workers are not getting the same benefits permanent full-time employees are getting.”
Serobe said waste removal workers did not “experience freedom” as “this luxury was only afforded to a few people in the country”.
“The constitution stipulates that every individual has the right to work – but labour brokering is not working,” he said.
He said they demanded to be permanently employed and be given medical aid and a housing allowance as well as other benefits full-time employees were entitled to.
Serobe said the union was frustrated as their letters to the Tshwane mayor and the South African local government association went unanswered.
“We have not even received a response of acknowledgement.”
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The union gave the municipality a 14-day ultimatum to respond to its grievances.
Serobe said if they did not respond to the deadline, they had “other avenues” to explore until they were heard.
The waste employees’ memorandum of grievances was received by housing and human settlements MEC Sello Maimane.
Serobe said Maimane promised to hand their grievances over to the relevant authorities.
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