South Africa’s national municipal strike is nearing its end, but the African National Congress may be the worst long-term casualty of the workers’ actions.
Leaders of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) predict that when the campaign for the 2004 elections begins next year, municipal workers will be reluctant to “show the same amount of enthusiasm” for the ANC as they did in the municipal elections two years ago.
Samwu members campaigned for the ANC in 2000, despite having been embroiled in the union’s anti- privatisation campaign, particularly in Johannesburg.
ANC members pointed out that the timing of the strike — which coincided with the African Union inaugural summit in Durban — had raised suspicions within the party.
ANC president Thabo Mbeki echoed the concerns in his column in the party’s on-line weekly publication, ANC Today.
“These were the striking municipal workers in Durban who, while exercising their legitimate right to strike, decided that they would welcome the rest of Africa by fouling the streets of Durban with refuse.
“Prompted and encouraged by their leaders, these sought to misuse and degrade the songs, slogans and communication methods of our movement for national liberation, and thus dishonour and betray our movement at a critical moment in Africa’s continuing liberation struggle,” Mbeki said.
The two-week strike — South Africa’s longest yet — was marked by workers trashing the centres of major cities across the country and random acts of violence.
A worker was shot dead, allegedly by a municipal official, in Louis Trichardt this week, and two others were murdered in Durban just before the strike began.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga), argued that acceding to Samwu’s demand for an across the board 10% raise would drive municipal rates to unsustainable levels and stood fast on its offer of an overall 8% increase.
Salga continued to hang tough when, in the second week of the strike, the union moderated its pay claim to 9% across the board.
Samwu general secretary Roger Ronnie commented that “it was hard for workers to accept the insensitivity displayed by many of the elected councillors” towards the demands.
The union’s members were this week considering a proposal by the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to end the dispute.
The CCMA deal proposes a 9% increase for workers earning less than R3 200 a month and 8% for those earning more. It also recommends an inflation-linked increase plus 1% for 2004 and a 1,5% hike the following year.
The proposal is currently being considered by municipalities across the country and by Thursday this week had already been accepted in four provinces.