The DA-run Tshwane metro vowed on Wednesday it would not be blackmailed by the ANC-aligned SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) into implementing immediately the recently signed multiterm pay agreement, which it says has “significant implications” for the capital.
The party dismissed Samwu’s “unlawful strike action” in the municipality as “largely political” and an attempt to make the city ungovernable by creating instability a few days before municipal elections on November 1.
This is after members of Samwu, the biggest municipal union representing about 160,000 of the country’s nearly 300,000 municipal workers, downed tools last week and trashed the city in support of their demand that the municipality implement the pay rise agreed to by parties in the SA Local Government Bargaining Council in September.
Jordan Griffiths, acting chief of staff in the mayor’s office, told Business Day that the city does not have to implement the wage agreement immediately.
“We are still evaluating it and have communicated as such to Samwu. The implications of these salary increases are significant, and so it’s a decision we would take during the adjustments budget process, which begins towards the end of December, and the adjustments budget being approved in February 2022,” said Griffiths.
Basic increase
“We wouldn’t make a decision like this without actually working through the budgetary process. You wouldn’t just implement it.”
The wage-hike deal starts with a 3.5% basic increase and a one-off nonpensionable cash allowance for workers in the sector.
The SA Local Government Association (Salga), an employer body representing 257 municipalities, has said increases in the outer years of the three-year agreement will be based on the inflation outlook and Reserve Bank projections. The Bank forecasts inflation will average 4.4% in 2021, 4.2% in 2022 and 4.5% in 2023.
Initially Samwu demanded a 7% increase and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) demanded 9%.
Samwu Tshwane regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane said workers in the metro will continue demanding implementation of the agreement. He said Samwu will not let executive mayor Randal William reverse gains made for workers.
“The local government elections have no bearing on this fight, but since the mayor has decided to bring it up as a defence through his lies and inability to read, the events in Tshwane have shown that William is not a suitable candidate to lead this city.”
Unlawful strike
Tladinyane said Samwu will fight until the metro implements the increases.
Griffiths said the Samwu strike is unlawful and the metro has obtained a court interdict, which Samwu did not oppose.
“It’s largely a political strike in an attempt to make the city ungovernable and creating instability in the run-up to the elections ... Samwu is affiliated to the ANC.”
Samwu is affiliated to labour federation Cosatu, a key ally of the ANC, which announced recently that it will wage a “relentless campaign” for the governing party for the elections on Monday.
“Samwu is acting on behalf of the ANC in Tshwane, which has been very weak [and is now] resorting to disrupting the services of the city,” said Griffiths.
He said Samwu members intimidated and stopped staff at the city’s customer relations centres doing their work. Electricity outage response teams faced intimidation and threats from union members.
Griffiths said Samwu is trying to make the DA administration “look bad”.
“When council reconvenes we will have to take the cost implications of this wage agreement to council. The council will have to decide and deliberate on them... We are not going to be blackmailed into making any decisions,” he said.
“The vast majority of Tshwane staff understand [our position on this] and want to go about their work.”
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