Five RNM workers suspended

Five Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) workers, including two managers, have been suspended.

According to a letter issued to the workers on Monday last week (January 20), they are believed to be the instigators of the unprotected strike that started in October last year.

The South African Municipal Workers Union’s (SAMWU) regional secretary, Ntombifuthi Mzotho, confirmed the suspension.

Mzotho said the workers were first served letters with ‘an intention to suspend’, where they had to state why they should not be suspended.

“We then responded after the stipulated 48 hours as per the letter. Then, on Monday, they received suspension letters.”

Mzotho said they (workers) are not on strike, but they are waiting for the employer (RNM) to respond to how ‘soon’ they will be receiving their money (backpay).

She added that they are dealing with the matter.

Mzotho said that the employer is going back and forth and that they did meet on January 15, and the municipal manager, Khetha Zulu, told them that they will be receiving backpay for three months.

“We then had another meeting last Friday (January 17), and the employer proposed that they will move us to grade 5 and give us three months backpay.”

She said when they asked about the payment arrangements, they could not get an answer.

“We then agreed that we would meet after Tuesday’s council meeting, as we had told them that three months backpay was not good enough.”

Mzotho said they are willing to compromise as the Cogta MEC Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi had asked both parties to reach an agreement.

The municipality confirmed the suspension of the five workers and that it had made an offer of three months’ backpay and for them to be moved to grade 5.

A follow-up meeting on the proposal was held between the employer and the employee last Wednesday afternoon (January 22).

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