BusinessLive reports that the ink was barely dry on the ground-breaking agreement signed by the City of Johannesburg and two trade unions, before infighting broke out within the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) over the pact.
On Monday, DA mayor Herman Mashaba, together with representatives from Samwu and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu), signed what they described as a historic and first-of-its-kind memorandum of understanding, aimed at promoting harmonious labour relations and advancing service delivery. But, Vuyani Singonzo, who signed the agreement on Samwu’s behalf as its purported regional chair, has come under fire from the union, which claims he did not have authority to do so. On Tuesday, Samwu Gauteng provincial secretary, Bafana Zungu, indicated that Singonzo, Meisie Sekaledi and Paul Thlabang were fired as shop stewards for alleged misconduct in 2016. They challenged their axing all the way to the Constitutional Court, which ruled in 2018 that the decision to fire them was legal. “They are in contempt of court by going around in public and signing agreements on behalf of Samwu,” claimed Zungu. Mashaba’s spokesperson said the city only worked with recognised unions and that it was up to the Zungu faction to prove that the Singonzo faction had no authority to enter into the agreement, “and then we will discuss [it]”.
- Read the full original of the above report by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive
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