The local branch of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) is going head-to-head with businesses and other unions for lack of support in its strike action.
The local branch of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) is going head-to-head with businesses and other unions for lack of support in its strike action.
Local SAMWU chairperson, Wandile Bikitsha told the striking workers yesterday to stop buying from Pick n Pay .
"We have been told the managers at Pick n Pay hired casuals to clean the streets," he said.
Since Monday, the irate municipal workers have been upturning rubbish bins, tearing open uncollected bags of rubbish and strewing the contents all over town.
However, Pick n Pay manager, Jon Campbell, denied that the store hired anyone to clean up.
"We [the management]did it ourselves and some members of our staff joined in, we did not hire anybody," he said.
Campbell emphasised that his store was not involved in the strike in any way and that the store's managers merely responded to a call from other businesses to help with cleaning. He added that the managers acted out of concern for the community regarding the health hazards posed by rotting rubbish lying around everywhere.
War of the unions
Bikitsha has also accused local members of Independent Municipal Allied Trade Union (IMATU) who work for Makana Municipality of "just sitting in their offices" while SAMWU workers go on strike. He pointed out that IMATU's provincial leadership marched alongside the SAMWU workers in Port Elizabeth on Monday.
He assured the workers that contrary to rumours that IMATU is likely to accept the offer tabled by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), SAMWU is insisting on a 15% increase in salaries across the board. "We want to make sure that IMATU doesn't survive in Makana Municipality," he added.
According to Lindelwa Faltein, Makana SAMWU secretary, SALGA had upped their offer to 13%, with 11.5% effected immediately (which means the minimum wage would be R3850.00 per month) and the other 1.5% next January- which would up the minimum wage to R4000 per month. "We want the whole 13% to come into effect immediately," she said.
Faltein added that the union was satisfied that the implementation of the job evaluation system (known as wage curves) was no longer part of the negotiations at the bargaining chamber. This follows after the workers demanded that the matter be handled separately from the ongoing negotiations.
IMATU representative Phillip Gordons refused to comment but promised to get back to Grocott's Mail after consulting with the union's regional spokesperson.
Primary services
For the major part of the week scores of chanting SAMWU members gathered and danced in front of municipal departments where some of their colleagues were still at work. Faltein explained to Grocott's Mail that the union temporarily removed some of their members from their duties so that only "skeletal staff" was left to run the municipality's essential services. She argued that this was in line with the minimum service agreement the union signed with the municipality which provides for the union to leave the municipality with 50% of the staff complement to run its essential services such as water and primary health clinics.
Curtis Sahd, a Computer Science masters student at Rhodes University, said: "It sends shivers down my spine if the action were to be prolonged, let the workers be given what they deserve as long as it is not ridiculous and let there be no further delay."
A Hillsview resident, Luthando Heshu says "As long as there are no disruptions to electricity or water supply, I will sympathise with the worker's strike for better salaries, but not their disruptive actions."
While police spokesperson Milanda Coetzer conceded that the strike has been characterised by "excessive littering" of the streets, she said the local police have contained the situation so well that no serious crimes such as damage to property have taken place. "The SAPS has focused on containing this situation and focused policing on serious crimes for example damage to property," she explained. "We remain committed to ensure the safety and security of all citizens of Grahamstown."
