Service delivery affected as Samwu-Tshwane battle continues

The Tshwane metro applied for an urgent court interdict on Friday, to prevent South Africa Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) workers from “sabotaging service delivery”, through ongoing protest action.

Samwu has been in a tussle with the Tshwane metro for nearly three years over a benchmarking agreement that was reached between the two parties at the bargaining council, to adjust salaries of workers in line with a category 10 status acquired by the municipality in 2017.

Thousands of municipal workers in Tshwane took to the street on Thursday, following a stand-off between the union and the municipality over the implementation of the salary increments and a once-off payment linked to the benchmarking collective agreement.

Samwu regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane said: “The South African Municipal Workers Union is disappointed at the conduct of the acting city manager and the executive mayor at their appetite to reverse gains registered by workers over the years.”

Tladinyane said the “appetite” was evident, noting the recent actions were over the issues of non-payment of annual once-off payment, wage and salary collective agreement implementations and the Tshwane group life scheme.

He said Tshwane and Samwu signed a collective agreement on benchmarking, in which there was a clause stating that all employees on top-notch would be paid an annual one-off payment in place of satisfactory performance.

“The metro has since applied to bargaining council to remove the clause.”

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He said the South African local government bargaining (Salga-employer body) signed a collective agreement with both Samwu and another union, Imatu, in September 2021, and after that, the South African local government bargaining council advised municipalities to implement the collective agreement.

“To date, the metro has not communicated when the agreement will be implemented and workers paid their 3.5% backdated to July 2021. Workers are demanding that the 3.5% be implemented on 26 October 2021.”

Tladinyane said the metro established the Tshwane group life scheme in favour of its employees which among others, covered funeral expenses in case of death.

“For three years or more, the scheme did not increase rates paid by the employer and recently due to Covid-19, the number of death cases increased drastically.

“Tshwane representatives on the scheme agreed that rates be increased but the mayoral committee blocked the said increase. As a result of the action benefits paid to employees have been decreased negatively affecting families of departed employees.

“Noting that local government elections will be on November 1, Samwu demands that the current administration resolve all outstanding issues so that we start on a clean slate with the new administration.”

The union gave the metro until October 25, to provide a positive response to employees’ demands.

Tshwane mayor Randall Williams said, however, the metro was now seeking an urgent court interdict to prevent the unlawful Samwu strike which aimed to sabotage service delivery.

“This morning, I have instructed the city’s legal team to obtain an urgent interdict against the Samwu in Tshwane after members of the union disrupted services and interrupted service delivery.

“It is disappointing that despite responding to the matters raised by Samwu that there are members in the metro that have instead opted to disrupt the work of the municipality.”

He said this was an unlawful labour action and was clearly a political act to sabotage the work in the city.

Williams said the vast majority of Tshwane personnel had an eagerness to work and continue to perform their duties.

“They have every right to not be intimated in their day-to-day activities and to enter their premises of work.”

He said the metro had received reports of bus services being disrupted, waste contractors being intimidated, and Tshwane staff being denied entry into their offices or threatened as a result of this unlawful strike action.

“The city has properly constituted labour structures whereby decisions on any labour issues can be deliberated on. The actions by Samwu are a clear and direct attempt to sabotage the work of the city.

“It is an unlawful labour action that is purely being done to drive a political agenda and create chaos before the elections.

“We will also be initiating civil litigation against Samwu for the wasteful costs incurred as a result of this unlawful strike.”

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