The Sunday Independent reports that the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has blamed misconduct and a jobs-for-pals syndicate at the Johannesburg city council for the ongoing protests by former Pikitup workers.  

Hundreds of former workers who were employed as contractors between 2010 and 2011 picketed outside the Pikitup Selby Depot entrance last week to demand their jobs back.  Their contracts were terminated in 2011.  The former employees claimed they were promised permanent employment, but the company refused to retain them because of a jobs-for-pals scheme.  They alleged that 2,800 workers from outside Gauteng were hired instead.  Samwu’s Bafana Zungu said the jobs-for-pals syndrome was conducted by those in the HR department under the city manager’s supervision.  He also alleged that the mayor, Herman Mashaba, was implicated and so could not play an oversight role in resolving the matter.  Pikitup’s Muzi Mkhwanazi rubbished the claims.  Meanwhile, the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) has demanded that the insourcing and absorption of former workers be ceased immediately as the requirements and process of a collective agreement were not being honoured.  Imatu’s Mark-Lee Gericke said they would ensure the agreement was honoured by all parties and that they did not necessarily support the protesters.  “If the protesters should be considered for absorption and insourcing then that aspect will be enforced through the agreement,” he indicated.

Read this report by Manyane Manyane in full at The Sunday Independent

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