Municipal strikers: All right, fine, how about 10%, then?

24 Aug 2011 18:34 - Staff Reporter

Striking municipal workers have dropped their demand for an 18% salary increase to 10% -- but local government does not seem inclined to bite.

Mthandeki Nhlapho, the general secretatry of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), told SABC radio that the change in demand would only affect the percentage and not their demand for a minimum R2 000 across the board payment.

The decrease was decided during a second round of salary increase negotiations with the South African Local Government Association (Salga) on Wednesday.

Samwu was joined by representatives from the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union.

Nhlapho said Salga was still sticking to its original offer of 6% despite the change.

The strike is in its second week, but is not supported by Samwu’s Gauteng branches, whose leaders are embroiled in allegations on missing funds.

The negotiations were continuing on Wednesday evening.—Sapa

. .