Union’s new leadership warns metro about workers’ rights

The newly elected leadership of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union of the Tshwane Region is committed to spearheading the fight for justice, unity and fairness for all municipal workers and has given the metro a stern warning.

“Your continued refusal to honour agreements, your blatant victimisation of workers and your failure to respect municipal employees will not go unchallenged. This leadership will not rest until all workers in the metro receive their 3.5% and 5.4% salary increases and the 45 dismissed workers are reinstated. Your attempts to divide and suppress workers will fail, as we stand united and unshaken.”

“We will pursue the metro to the last avenue available to us.”
This statement was made by the regional secretary Donald Monakhisi, who announced the election of new regional office bearers.

The new team’s regional chairperson is Lehlohonolo Maphatsoe and the deputy regional chairperson is Tumelo Kgampe, who will be assisted by the deputy regional secretary, Simon Leburu with Joubert Ngwepe as regional treasurer.

Monakhisi said one of the most pressing issues facing this leadership was the unlawful dismissal of 45 municipal workers.

“They were terminated merely for exercising their democratic right to demand what is rightfully theirs: payment of overdue salary increases. These workers, who stood courageously for the principles of justice and fairness, have been treated with utter contempt and victimised for speaking truth to power,” explained Monakhisi.

He emphasised that the union condemned the metro’s actions and demanded the immediate reinstatement of all dismissed workers.

The workers were accused of serious crimes during last year’s unprotected wage strike.

“These dismissals are not just an attack on the affected individuals, but an attack on the collective rights of all workers. The metro must understand that intimidation tactics will not silence the union or its members.”

Monakhisi pointed out that the new leadership will also work towards ending the outsourcing of municipal services in the metro.

According to him over the next five years, the leadership will focus on intensifying efforts to hold the metro accountable for the salary increases owed to workers, being the 3.5% and 5.4% from 2021 and 2023 respectively.

The metro recently appeared before the Labour Court to review decisions related to wage increases.

Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moyo emphasised after the proceedings that her administration was making every effort to deliver wage increases to all.

The metro appeared on November 21 and 22 before the Labour Court to review decisions dismissing its applications for exemption from the 3.5% and 5.4% wage increases for the first and third years of the South African Local Government Association collective agreement.

Moya explained the city was facing serious financial difficulties, which have forced them to make tough decisions about wage increases under the collective agreement. She added that the metro is asking for a new panellist to reconsider the 3.5% wage increase and for the Labour Court to replace the panellist’s decision on the 5.4% increase.

She explained at the time that these issues were still being considered by the court. Judgment has been reserved on the metro’s requests.

Comment on several points raised by Samwu has been requested from the metro but has not been received by the time of publication.

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