Municipal workers in Gauteng will strike for one day next week to highlight grievances with the restructuring of municipal services, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) said on Wednesday.
The strike is scheduled for next Thursday.
Samwu provincial secretary Silas Letsimo said workers were unhappy with the lack of consultation by the South African Local Government Association (Salga).
He said municipal services were being outsourced instead of existing structures being used.
”We have observed with dismay the manner in which metros and municipalities are undermining the existing bargaining structures and all existing agreements led by the notorious Johannesburg Metro Council.”
He added: ”This process is characterised by corruption and greed and it does not have the element of objectivity and transparency.”
Letsimo said the promises of the Igoli 2000 plan, which was aimed at ensuring efficiency in rebuilding roads, parks and sanitation in the townships, had not been delivered.
”We were told how the plan is going to improve service provisionto the communities in particular the previously disadvantaged communities.”
He said although the country was celebrating ten years of democracy, nothing had changed in terms of service delivery.
”Soweto remains as it was in the last ten years and its neighbouring townships with little improvements.”
He said the Igoli 2000 plan exaggerated improvements.
He said ”meeting after meeting” was held in mayors’ and city managers’ offices with no progress.
”We are now told the current proposed retirement collective agreement cannot be concluded and that Salga is even contemplating to withdraw from the bargaining council.”
He said Salga had threatened to withdraw by January 1, 2005 if the union did not accede to some of the amendments made to the organisational rights agreement.
”There comes a time to surrender or to fight and we have chosen to fight, he added.
A Salga spokesperson could not be reached for comment. – Sapa