Tshwane Samwu workers strike after Solly Msimanga will not meet them

The absorption of contract workers in the City of Tshwane workforce is causing some trouble for the city’s new administration.

On Friday a number of workers who are affiliated to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) took to the streets in unprotected protest action.

Regional secretary in Tshwane Mpho Tladinyane said what caused the protest was the city’s executive mayor, Solly Msimanga, failing to meet workers.

In a meeting that took place last week, workers were told that the city would make 3,000 workers permanent out of the 8,000 strong temporary workforce.

Tladinyane said that workers asked for the list of the 3,000 people who would be made permanent but the city did not disclose that information. He said that agreement reached at the meeting was that Msimanga would meet representatives of the workers the following day. Tladinyane said that Msimanga did not meet the workers and that is what sparked the protest.

In a statement, Msimanga said he would not tolerate unlawful conduct and would ensure that the full might of the law was exerted upon those who continued in their attempts to make the city ungovernable.

"They have not succeeded thus far. And they will not succeed in future. We will continue to make progress despite this protest action. Of that, I assure the people of Tshwane," Msimanga said.

Mayoral spokesperson Samkelo Mgobozi said the contract workers held city officials hostage as they sought to pressure the city into absorbing them as permanent employees.

Mgobozi said that there was a process under way of identifying all the people who were eligible to be absorbed by the city.

He said that it would not be all 8,000 of the contract workers as the city was not an employment agency.

Mgobozi said that the strike was unlawful and the city had an interdict to prevent the contract workers from striking. If the strike continued on Monday the city would follow due process and dismiss the individuals that were acting outside the court interdict.

Mgobozi said there was a commitment to absorb a certain number of individuals, but a time frame had not been established yet.