It will be business as usual on Monday for thousands of municipal workers who embarked on a three-day strike that ended on Friday.
South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) Johannesburg branch chairperson Essawu Mbele told workers outside the Civic Centre in Braamfontein to go home and report to work on Monday.
”On Tuesday, we will have a meeting with the union shop stewards to inform them of a decision by the national executive council as to where they go from here,” he said.
He told workers that the fight is not over as they still have not received their 9% pay increase. The South African Local Government Association (Salga) is offering 6%.
On Friday, the gathering by about 300 Samwu members was declared legal after the unions presented the Johannesburg city council with a copy of their collective agreement with Salga.
The agreement states that workers do not need permission to demonstrate on their employer’s premises. Legal advisers of the city council confirmed this, saying the striking workers were indeed allowed to gather at the Civic Centre as stated in the Labour Relations Act.
However, city council spokesperson Gabu Thugwana said this did not mean that Mayor Amos Masondo would address the gathering and receive their memorandum of grievances.
Referring to Thursday’s incidents where police fired rubber bullets and tear-gas canisters at more than 2 000 workers outside the Civic Centre building, Samwu deputy secretary general Andile Sihlahla said the union will explore whether to take legal action.
”Yesterday [Thursday] and Wednesday’s demonstrations were legal, but still police dispersed marchers, which was wrong. The union will have to sit and explore whether or not we will take action.”
More than 50 people were arrested on Thursday for violating the Gatherings Act at Beyers Naude Square and in Braamfontein.
Samwu general secretary Dumisani Langa, who was among those arrested, said they were released on Thursday afternoon. Workers were told to go home safely and peacefully and not give police an excuse to arrest them. — Sapa