/ 21 April 2011

ANC appeals to Samwu to reconsider strike plans

Anc Appeals To Samwu To Reconsider Strike Plans

The African National Congress (ANC) on Thursday appealed to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) to reconsider plans for a second strike in May, which will have negative effects on the forthcoming local government elections.

“We know that Samwu, as a progressive trade union, which is part of the progressive alliance, would not like to be seen to be sabotaging the forthcoming local government elections and the entrenchment of democracy in South Africa,” ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

The streets of Johannesburg have turned into a dumping ground, while refuse removal company Pikitup continues with a strike that began on April 7 2011. We visit some of the affected areas to see just how bad the situation has become.

“We also know that Samwu, as part of the revolutionary forces, would not like to be seen to be acting in a manner that is counter-revolutionary.”

‘Solidarity action’
Earlier on Thursday, Cosatu said there was a possibility of second strike by Samwu if negotiations on wage disparities were not successful.

A two-week long strike by Pikitup refuse collectors in Johannesburg ended on Thursday after the City of Johannesburg acceded to all except their wage demands.

“We [workers] agreed though that this wasn’t our primary demand so we are willing to schedule talks at a later stage and send workers back to work today [Thursday],” said Samwu spokesperson Tahir Sema.

However, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) later said that, if no agreement was reached on wages, Samwu would “invoke solidarity action of its entire membership in the region”.

It would also explore the possibility of a secondary strike by all Samwu members in Gauteng, Cosatu provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile said in a statement.

Welcomed
The ANC also welcomed the signing of the agreement by the City of Johannesburg and Samwu to end the strike.

“The suspension of the strike also means an end to the unhealthy state of our streets, with piles of rubbish and unbearable stench having engulfed most of Johannesburg, something that has affected residents and business,” Mthembu said.

The Freedom Front Plus (FF+) said on Thursday that it was laying a complaint against the Johannesburg metro council with the Consumer Commission over its poor and absent service delivery due to the accumulation of refuse in the city.

“The strike by Pikitup, the city’s service delivery agent which has to remove refuse, is busy seriously harming residents due to the extremely unhygienic circumstances that people find themselves in,” FF+ councillor Franco de Lange said in a statement.

“The FF+ will on behalf of all taxpayers of Johannesburg request that those portions of the paid tariffs where insufficient or no service at all had been rendered by Pikitup be paid back to people.

“We intend to test the Consumer Commission to see whether it fulfils its legal mandate to protect the consumer against the state,” he said. — Sapa