SAMWU NOBs Conclude Inaugural Meeting
04 September 2015
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union’s newly elected National Office Bearers (NOBs) have concluded their inaugural meeting following their election at the recently concluded 11th SAMWU National Congress held in Durban under the theme “fighting for decent jobs, wages and accessible services.” The NOBs led by President Pule Molalenyane convened this meeting over two days (Thursday and Friday) to consolidate, reflect and take forward the mandate given by the National Congress.
The NOBs have a tough but doable task ahead, a task of ensuring that the union is united and speaking in one language following the National Congress. As NOBs we also have to ensure that SAMWU retains its dominance within our sector, this can only be achieved by redirecting all our energies to our members, recruiting, retaining and most importantly servicing our members as this is the core function of the union.
NOBs are going to be visible in all areas regions and branches of the union. To ensure this, NOBs have been deployed as follows; Pule Molalenyane to Mpumalanga and Western Cape, John Dlamini to Gauteng and Limpopo, Lorraine Baitsiwe to North West and KwaZulu Natal, Portia Lindi to Esatern Cape, General Secretary to Nothern Cape and the Deputy General Secretary to the Free State Province.
The 11th National Congress resolved on ensuring that we increase our membership base, and recruit every worker who is rendering municipal services, including those in precarious employment, especially Extended Public Works Programme (EPWP) employees. EPWP workers have a special place in SAMWU, this is because we can relate to the victimisation and exploitation they experience on a day to day basis at the hands of municipalities. We regard EPWP workers as municipal workers and as such they should be organised by SAMWU.
We will therefore be making a submission in the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) on the issue of EPWP, we want all EPWP workers to be permanently employed by municipalities with full benefits. SAMWU NOBs will not rest until this is achieved, enabling people to have decent jobs with decent and living wages, in line with our congress theme.
We also noted that our largest sector, being Local Government is in crisis, with a third of the country’s municipalities struggling. As SAMWU we cannot turn a blind eye when municipalities are struggling as this will have adverse effects on communities and of importance to us, our members. We will therefore be engaging both SALGA and the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs with the view of finding ways in which all parties can contribute to the rebuilding of South African municipalities to increase the quality and quantity of services delivered by municipalities, line with our congress theme.
We took note of the developments in the criminal case involving Mr Phaswane who once did consultancy work for SAMWU. As NOBs we feel that this matter should be concluded so to allow everyone including our members to get closure and the truth. We are concerned that the General Secretary has been made target by media on this issue, we want to emphasise that the General Secretary has not reached a negotiated settlement with the authorities on this matter, in fact he has been cooperating with the authorities. SAMWU will not tolerate any criminality especially when it involves hard-earned workers’ money, we therefore call on the speedy conclusion of the trial. Those implicated should be locked in jail and the keys thrown away, before they pay back every cent they took from workers.
Our meeting comes at a time wherein there are onslaughts directed at SAMWU by mushrooming unions in the sector. We have observed that there is a splinter from a splinter union. We are however unshaken and undeterred by unions formed by disgruntled individuals whose sole interest is their stomach. We believe that our feet our rooted firmly towards the interests of our members.
We would however caution municipal workers and in particular our members to be wary of these individuals. These are the same individuals who for their own selfish interests wanted to sow divisions within SAMWU, we know them and we have worked with them. We know their character, we know very well that they are power hungry full of lies and deceit.
These are the same individuals who took workers on unprotected strikes so they could discredit SAMWU and its leadership. These individuals are responsible for the job losses at Rea Vaya, today over 100 people are jobless as a result of their actions. Given that on average one workers provides for 4 people, 500 people now go to bed on a hungry stomach every single night. These individuals should take responsibility for subjecting people to hunger and starvation.
As SAMWU, we will not be wasting our energy and time on unions that have been formed out of anger and for personal gains. We would rather focus on our members. As NOBs we have to ensure that the National Congress mandate is taken forward, that we come up in strategies and tactics on how we can better our service to members. We will further be directing our energies in ensuring that outstanding negotiations with Water Boards are concluded timeously and that our members receive increases with real gains. Finally we urge our members to defend SAMWU from any form of attack, be it from within or external. SAMWU lives, SAMWU leads.
Statement issued by Koena Ramotlou, SAMWU Deputy General Secretary, September 4 2015
