Pretoria News reports that the City of Tshwane and its two unions, the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and Independent Municipal and Allied Union (Imatu), will have to wait a few more days to learn the outcome of the bargaining council decision on a wage increase.
The metro and the unions met the Local Government Collective Bargaining Council last week to argue their cases on whether the striking municipal workers should get a pay increase. The employees have been striking for nearly five weeks in demand of a 5.4% pay increase while the metro has claimed bankruptcy. The municipality has sought an exemption for proposed pay increases that was heard by senior commissioner Eleanor Hambidge on Wednesday. However, according to the municipality’s chief of staff, Jordan Griffiths, both the union and city were still waiting for the ruling, which had to be delivered within 30 days from the date of application. Griffiths said the metro applied for the exemption on 10 August this year. “This means the judgment would be due by September 9,” he indicated. Samwu provincial secretary Mpho Tladinyane confirmed that the union was also still waiting for the commissioner to issue an award. But although there is no telling what the commissioner will decide, Samwu is not backing down over the pay increase. Samwu also warned that it would be approaching the courts over the city’s decision to withhold the salaries of the 319 striking employees.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Mashudu Sadike at Pretoria News
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