The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), which has lowered its wage increase demand, will embark on another strike on Monday.
Lunchtime pickets at the workplace will start on Wednesday in the build-up to Monday’s strike, Samwu general secretary Roger Ronnie told reporters in Johannesburg on Tuesday.
The strike will continue for an indefinite period.
Ronnie also announced that in the union’s willingness to resolve the current wage dispute, it had reduced its demand to an 8% increase or R350.
Samwu previously wanted an increase of the greater of 9% or R400.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has implemented a 6% increase.
The union’s national executive committee (NEC) met in Johannesburg earlier in the day to discuss the wage deadlock and the impact of its three-day strike last week.
Ronnie said the committee was unanimous that the countrywide strike was a success, as it had impacted on service delivery.
He also said ”interference by the SAPS [South African Police Service] and ongoing attempts by employers to undermine the strike is a clear success of the strike”.
The union’s NEC called on the police not to interfere in its strike when not provoked to do so.
On Thursday, the police fired rubber bullets and tear-gas canisters at more than 2 000 strikers at the Johannesburg Civic Centre for allegedly staging an illegal picket.
However, on Friday, municipal workers were eventually allowed to hold their picket outside the centre. This was after Samwu presented the city council with a copy of its collective agreement with Salga, which states workers do not need permission to demonstrate on the employer’s premises.
Samwu deputy general secretary Andile Sihlahla said on Tuesday that according to the Labour Relations Act, which overrides any collective agreement, people can strike at their place of employment.
On media reports of striking members murdering a non-striking worker in Pretoria, Ronnie said Samwu is investigating the incident.
He said the NEC does not condone any unprovoked destruction of or damage to property, nor does it condone physical attacks.
”This is unproductive and does not advance the legitimate struggle of workers,” Ronnie said.
On Monday, municipal offices were closed in Centurion, south of Pretoria, after Samwu members allegedly trashed the premises. There were also reports of sporadic violence across the country last week.
”At the same time, we do however support the right of workers to defend themselves from any forms of intimidation,” Ronnie said.
However, Ronnie said the union will not take action against members who trashed the country’s streets last week.
He said many communities are ”living piles of dirt” and it is ”hypocritical” for people to complain when city streets are littered.
The NEC called on the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party to support strikers’ demands and to act in a manner consistent with the objectives of job security and a living wage as enshrined in the Freedom Charter.
Samwu’s other demands remain the same. It wants a minimum wage of R3 000, a single-year wage agreement, and that the most senior managers’ salaries be regulated according to the agreement it strikes with Salga.
Salga said it will comment at a later stage.
Municipal managers earn plenty
Meanwhile, reports Donwald Pressly, figures gleaned from a reply in Parliament from Minister of Provincial and Local Government Sydney Mufamadi show that the average municipal manager in South Africa’s 47 district municipalities earns R642 376 a year.
In reply to a question from Democratic Alliance MP Mpowele Swathe, the minister provided the following information:
- Central Karoo municipal manager Truman Prince earns R579 343 a year. He has a diploma in education and a certificate in labour relations.
- The Siyanda municipal manager earns R502 000 a year. He holds two education diplomas.
- The Ugu municipal manager earns R692 868 a year. He holds various certificates and diplomas but no degrees.
- The uThukela municipal manager earns R915 142 a year.
- The Zululand municipal manager earns R726 385 a year.
- The Nkangala municipal manager earns R871 976 a year.
- The West Rand municipal manager earns R690 000 a year. He has a matric certificate and ”numerous short courses”.
Swathe argued in a statement on Tuesday that this is ”more than they deserve” as the figures are before ”performances bonuses”.
”This is shocking when one considers that 43 out of the 47 district municipalities have been targeted for Project Consolidate, the Department of Provincial and Local Government’s programme to revamp struggling municipalities.
”According to the department’s own guidelines, municipalities on the Project Consolidate programme are those that have severe service-delivery backlogs, cannot collect sufficient revenue, perform less than 30% of their assigned powers and functions and are in known financial distress.
”This means that a significant amount of taxpayer’s money — about R21-million — is being spent on paying municipal managers who cannot do their jobs properly.”
Swathe said it is also deeply troubling that many of these municipal managers do not appear to have the relevant expertise.
In terms of Section 82(2) of the Local Government: Municipal Structures Act, 1998 (Act 117 of 1998), ”a person appointed as municipal manager must have relevant skills and expertise to perform the duties associated with that post”.
Swathe said it is ”outrageous” that municipal managers earn salaries in the same league as national Cabinet ministers”.
The figures provided do not include municipal managers of metropolitan councils such as Cape Town or Johannesburg. — I-Net Bridge, Sapa