Some municipalities are tightening up security and making contingency plans to clear backlogs, as the nationwide municipal workers’ strike entered its second week on Monday.
The City of Cape Town has begun to make headway in clearing a refuse backlog caused by the strike from last week, mayoral committee member Alderman Demetri Qually said.
“Contingency plans have been in place all week … Less than 8% of refuse remains uncollected.”
If refuse was not collected by 9pm on collection day residents should wait until the following week for it to be picked up, he said.
A total of 3Â 194 city staff or 12.66% of its workforce was absent from work without authorisation.
“This includes staff who intended to come to work, but were prevented from doing so by striking South African Municipal Workers’ Union [Samwu] members,” Qually said.
Wage war
Samwu national spokesperson Tahir Sema said the union was hoping to meet with its employer, the South African Local Government Association [Salga] this week, in a bid to settle the wage dispute.
The union wanted an 18% salary increase. Salga was offering about six percent.
Qually called Samwu’s wage demands “unrealistic” as this would mean that the city would have to increase its wage budget by R67-million.
Reports of violence and intimidation were also received by the city all week, and council vehicles were allegedly stoned at the Fezeka Clinic on Monday.
“Metro Police and the South African Police Services were at the scene and managed to control the situation,” he said.
Last week municipal workers trashed streets during marches in Cape Town, Durban, Pietermaritzburg and Nelspruit.
“The City will continue to collect data about the damages caused by striking Samwu members and the related costs. This information will be used for cases of disciplinary action as well as the recovery of costs from Samwu.”
Nelson Mandela Bay
The Nelson Mandela Bay municipality would also tighten security after alleged intimidation of nonstriking municipal workers, spokesperson Kupido Baron said.
About 90% of employees returned to work on Monday, but threats levelled against them began to increase, he said.
Patients at the Walmer Gqebera Clinic were forced to vacate the premises after when Samwu members allegedly threatened them with knobkerries. Security guards had to remove protesters from the Korsten and Walmer customer care centres.
Security would be beefed up at libraries, clinics and other public facilities from Tuesday.
“We do not want to be specific on how we will increase security, because these strikers are savvy. We don’t want them to be able to hinder the measures that we are taking.”
‘Internal disputes’ in Gauteng
Sema confirmed earlier that Samwu’s biggest branch, in Johannesburg, was not supporting the strike en masse due to “internal disputes” with the union.
About 80% of workers were taking part in the strike in the other provinces.
“We have 35 branches in nine provinces … and we are expecting within the coming days to have the City of Joburg start participating in the strike action,” said Sema.
On Friday, a planned Samwu march in Johannesburg started two hours later than planned after no workers arrived for the mass action. Eventually Samwu members were ferried in from Pretoria.
Johannesburg and Pretoria had reported minor disruptions as a result of the strike.
Salga was not immediately available for comment. — Sapa