COSATU joins SAMWU in welcoming court date for City of Tshwane review hearing

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) joins its unrelenting Affiliate, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in welcoming the Labour Court’s notice of set down to hear the City of Tshwane’s review application in relation to complying with the terms a wage settlement.

In 2021, parties at the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) agreed on a three-year salary and wage increase settlement that would see municipal workers receive a 3.5% increase in the 2021/22 financial year, 4.9% in 2022/23, and 5.4% in 2023/24. Instead of honouring the agreement, the City of Tshwane applied to the bargaining council for exemptions from the 2021/22 and 2023/24 increases and lost both. But still the city refused to pay and escalated the matter to the Labour Court.

Efforts to mediate on payment modalities by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, also failed to produce an agreement.

Finally, after almost three years the Labour Court is set to hear the matter on 28 November this year. COSATU applauds SAMWU for its unyielding commitment to ensuring the City of Tshwane fully complies with the SALGBC award and pays both the 3.5% and 5.4% increases. The Federation stands firmly behind its tireless Affiliate as it looks to the court as the final arbiter in this matter and trusts its ruling will favour the workers who have been battling to keep pace with the skyrocketing cost of living.

Whilst the court case focuses specifically on the 5.4% hike, COSATU steadfastly supports SAMWU’s resolve to secure the 3.5% increase owed to its members for the 2021/22 financial year.

It is critical that SAMWU emerges victorious from this court case. This matter of asserting workers’ hard won rights to a living wage, to protect their wages from inflationary erosion, to collective bargaining and to expect their employer to honour a signed wage agreement is critical not only for the hard working employees of Tshwane Municipality, but in fact thousands of municipal workers who’s rights are under siege from unscrupulous employers who have mismanaged local government and now seek to make workers the victim.

The Federation salutes members of SAMWU for the loyalty and trust they have shown to our Affiliate despite the hardship they have had to endure as the unscrupulous City of Tshwane withheld the salary and wage increases rightfully due to them. There is no doubt that the union draws its unrelenting determination to keep fighting from its members.

Issued by COSATU

Zanele Sabela(COSATU National Spokesperson)

Mobile: 079 287 5788 / 077 600 6639

Email: zanele@cosatu.org.za