THE South African Municipal Workers Union on Tuesday declared a dispute with Nelspruit’s transitional local council over its controversial R300-million water privatisation deal. Nelspruit signed the groundbreaking deal with British multinational, Biwater, in October 1998 but has been unable to implement the scheme because of objections by Samwu and other African National Congress-aligned unions. Samwu provincial secretary, Steve Sihlangu, said the union has already informed Nelspruit’s City Council it intends tabling the dispute on Wednesday. The dispute will, he said, be based on Labour Relations Act stipulations making it illegal to unilaterally transfer workers without consultation.