The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has this week began conducting Regional Shop Steward Councils (RSSCs) in line with the union’s resolutions of rebuilding and uniting the union. The Eastern Cape is leading the charge, being the first province to hold their RSSCs with Nelson Mandela and Buffalo City holding their RSSCs from the 3rd October 2019.

The commencement of this process follows the near completion of Shop Steward elections which were commissioned by the union’s May 2019 Central Executive Committee meeting which gave the go-ahead for the elections to begin in earnest.  RSSCs are a gathering of Shop Stewards, new and old to not only elect Regional Office Bearers (ROBs) but to also produce resolutions and discussions which will feed into Provincial Congresses and ultimately the National Congress.

We expect all of the union’s 37 regions to have completed their RSSCs by the end of October, while all 9 Provincial Congresses will be concluded by the end of November 2019. These processes will culminate in the union holding its 12th National Congress which is scheduled to be held in March 2020.

We wish all regions well as they embark on this important task of renewing and rebuilding the union. We trust that workers will emerge with discussions and resolutions which will assist in repositioning the union. We further wish all those who will be elected in these RSSCs well and trust that they will champion the interests of workers in their respective regions and that above all, they will put the interests of workers first.

Issued by SAMWU Secretariat
Koena Ramotlou, General Secretary (073 254 9394), Dumisane Magagula, Deputy General Secretary (084 806 4005) or Papikie Mohale, National Media Officer (073 710 0356)