City of Tshwane Negotiations Deadlock

27 July 2019

The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) in the Greater Tshwane Region is greatly agitated at the delaying tactics that have been used by the employer to sort out workers demands following the negotiations of the 18% salary adjustment across the board for all municipal workers that fall under the City of Tshwane, as negotiations have reached a deadlock.

This follows the City of Tshwane’s upgrade in ranking from category 9-10 which essentially means that workers can be paid more.

The city had decided to pay an 18% salary increase only to group heads and divisional heads who are permanently employed in the city and fall under the scope of the Local Government Bargaining Council, only to leave out lower level employees.

Workers are demanding a fair treatment as those of Group and divisional heads. If certain employees can be paid an 18% salary increase surely general workers and cleaners should also be paid a similar increase.

As the negotiations have been under way, the union has been hit with delaying tactics by the employer, as they have not clearly responded to the workers’ demands, but instead they have shifted the focus to restructuring of remuneration packages. We take their response as a rejection of the 18% salary increase demand.

We cannot afford a situation where top managers sit in luxury and pay themselves exorbitant amounts of money while the struggling majority are being taken for granted.

The employer has totally disregarded workers pleas. Therefore SAMWU on behalf of its members will take the struggle forward besides the regular threats that the Regional Secretary’s has faced to his life and family’s life.

On Monday the 29th of July, workers will march to Tshwane House in Pretoria to demand finalisation of this matter.

Issued by Mpho Tladinyane, Regional Secretary, SAMWU Greater Tshwane Region, 27 July 2019