After weeks of protest actions and pledges of a revised organogram everything is back to square one.
“We are fed-up with the municipality’s promises,” Mr Vusi Pilson, chairman of the local SAMWU branch, said.
Pilson said there will be a sitting on May 2 where conciliation is set to take place.
“We will get a certificate that will allow disgruntled workers to embark on a protected strike,” Pilson explained.
He said advertisement for director’s posts and the position of municipal manager had not been discussed with the union and therefore this is just adding fuel to their anger.
Since 2011 the revised organogram had made its way through several offices and hands, and to date it had not been tabled at a council meeting.
Focussing on current strategic challenges faced within the boundaries of the municipality, the organogram once again was revised last year.
Municipal administrator, Mr Theo van Vuuren, said key councillors were one of the reasons the Local Labour Forum (LLF) did not engage in meetings for months. He then took the matter on with the union and after consulting their members, they agreed that this new organogram can be submitted as a matter of urgency to council in January.
Angry members of SAMWU said another council meeting followed and the organogram was referred back for further fine-tuning.
The same scenario followed in March when the organogram was again not served at the council meeting on March 27.
“Politicians are interfering with administrative issues in the municipality and because of that there are no results yet,” Pilson said.
He said the municipality reminds him of a disorganised tuck-shop.
“This is the calm before the storm, we are not giving up we are fighting for what is fair,” he said.
At the time of going to press there was no comment from the municipality.
*Showing their dismay with the organogram SAMWU members took to the streets on Monday, March 31 chanting and dancing in front of the municipal building. On Friday, April 4 they went on a rampage and created chaos at the licensing office.
