The meeting that was held on June 1, was in regards to a letter received from SAMWU on Wednesday, May 27.
According to Mr Job Mohlala, Local Secretary of SAMWU, this letter contained a pending decision on employees that was appointed in the organisational structure must be given those specific positions.
They previously had an ANC caucus meeting where members who will be involved in the meeting, must prepare themselves thoroughly and that all members can come to a same understanding about the issue involved.
A letter was written to the Acting Municipal Manager, Mr Theo van Vuuren stating that he must take responsibility for decisions made by employees below him.
SAMWU approached the Mayor of Emalahleni, Cllr Salome Sithole, to get confirmation about rumours that they heard about workers in the organisational structure who is not in their right positions.
SAMWU is obliged to keep their members informed at all times and thus leading to a general meeting granted by Van Vuuren, and led by Cllr Sithole on Monday, June 1.
This meeting did not go according to plan as the members of SAMWU went in uprising against the Emalahleni Local Municipality. After the meeting, members of SAMWU attacked MMCs. One of the MMCs was assaulted in the attack and everyone else had to be kept safe. Thus extra security was brought into the building.
The situation was cleared shortly after the uprising started as security had to remove the members from the building. Another meeting did take place later on Monday, again between SAMWU and the municipality.
According to Van Vuuren, the attack was unscheduled because nothing was achieved during the meeting or after the attack. Stability was restored on Tuesday, June 2.
Van Vuuren said that the problem with SAMWU started when the union was not satisfied with how the organisational structure was put into place and was afraid that the workers promised the job would not get the position as it was not implemented on June 1. Van Vuuren said that SAMWU is unhappy with how the organisational structure was structured and about workers placed into certain positions. He also stated that violence was no justification.
According to a letter received by SAMWU, addressed to Cllr Sithole, SAMWU stated that they will not allow the councillors to come back with a vengeance, to want to settle scores and justify their political whims at expense of the law and the employees of Emalahleni Local Municipality.
The letter was also a warning to Cllr Sithole as well as management at the municipality that SAMWU will not allow decisions to be reversed or revised, which they state have an impact on our community.
Watch the footage as a MCC member’s vehicle speeds through a security barrier escaping protestors after being removed from Emalahleni Municipal building:
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