/ 9 February 2009

Metro cops vow to continue illegal strike

Johannesburg metro police officers vowed to continue their strike on Monday despite the Labour Court declaring it illegal.

”As far as we are concerned, the strike is not over yet,” said South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) spokesperson Dumisani Langa.

He said metro cops would gather at Beyers Naude Square in central Johannesburg from 9am on Monday to voice their demands.

The strike started last Monday and has caused the closure of licensing offices and testing stations in and around Johannesburg. A court on Friday ordered the strike to end.

Langa said statements by the City of Johannesburg that a resolution had been reached were false.

”They [City of Johannesburg] sent us a proposal on how to resolve the issue … but we have never had any formal meeting to form, what they term, an agreement,” said Langa.

But City of Johannesburg spokesperson Nthatisi Modingoane maintained that an agreement had been reached.

”The strike is now unprotected. That simply means that if people want to gather and march, we would not approve. The SA Police Service will have to uphold the law,” said Modingoane.

He said a resolution had been reached on all of Samwu’s demands, including the suspension of two senior managers accused of interfering in investigations. – Sapa