The South African Municipal Workers’Union (SAMWU) in the Tshwane Region is angered  by the attitude of the City’s administrators who have taken a posture to disregard collective agreements signed between the employer and labour, thus provoking municipal workers.  

In the first meeting after their appointment, the administrators committed to implementing all signed collective agreements. On the 16th of July 2020 the administrators confirmed to the Local Labour Forum that amongst other commitments, the City will pay the 6.25% salary increase which is due to workers.  An instruction was issued to officials to load money for payment. It is unfortunate that on Monday, 20 July 2020 administrators took a unilateral decision to reverse such payments.  

The City of Tshwane of Tshwane had also entered into a collective agreement with labour on 18 November 2019 to introduce a new grading scale. This was after the Department of Cooperative Governanace and Traditional Affairs (COGTA) had approved that the City of Tshwane be upgraded from category 9 to category 10. 

The City had  requested labour to postpone the  implementation by 9 months, in the interest of labour stability and sound labour relations in the City, we agreeed to the postponement and urged our members to allow the City Management time to realign their budget. 

It appears that the administrators have an appetite to sabotage collective agreements while  senior managers continue to enjoy benefits and they were paid all their monies amounting to millions of rands. We are also aware that the City has budgeted, approved and has the in excess of R1.3 billion that would be enough to pay workers what is due to them. 

SAMWU has since given administrators ultimatum to confirm that all collective agreements will be respected and implemented. They have until 12h00 on 22 July 2020 to assure workers that all will be covered on 24 July 2020. 

It is  unfortunate that administrators believe that only themselves who should be paid and in the process sideline municipal workers who  ensure that service delivery is realized. Workers have been given two options either die of poverty or  Coronavirus, we have chosen none of the two and as such, we will fight with our masks on to ensure that we get what is due to us. 

Failure to honour all collective agreements in the City is would be a declaration of war, war that municipal workers are ready to fight in defending collective bargaining and their gains. The City should not test us, the ground is fertile and if it is war that the administrators want, municipal workers will respond appropriately. 

Issued by SAMWU Tshwane Region 

Mpho Tladinyane 

Regional Secretary 

082  328 3413

Or

Valentine Matlala 

Deputy Regional Secretary  084  465 5598