The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) in the Northern Cape with the assistance of the General Secretary, Solly Phetoe, and the Deputy General Secretary of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), Nkhetheni Muthavhi, has successfully negotiated the absorption of 498 workers as permanent employees of the Sol Plaatjie Municipality.

The workers had previously been employed on a contract basis for a period of between 10 and 15 years. This is a victory for workers as they will now be eligible to receive the full benefits that public servants are entitled to.

This is the positive outcome of a meeting between Phetoe, Muthavhi, COSATU and SAMWU in the province as well as the Sol Plaatje Municipality Troika and its management at the municipal chamber on 15 May. The same meeting scored another victory for 15 workers who will soon be back at work after they were dismissed in 2016, after their political principal left office. SAMWU referred their case to the bargaining council and later to the Labour Court. It has been over nine years but still their case remains unresolved. For them, the past decade has been a long journey of financial hardship and depression.

The Federation is pleased that the joint task team has committed to reinstate these workers, bringing an end to this painful and longstanding matter. Once again, demonstrating that COSATU will never relent on its fight for workers’ rights.

Issued by COSATU Northern Cape

Orapeleng Moraladi (Provincial Secretary)

Mobile: 078 452 6891

Email: orapeleng@cosatu.org.za