The Citizen reports that a group of municipal workers pledged they would return to the picket line after the City of Tshwane scuppered their protest plans on Monday.

Themba Nkabinde, leader of the Concerned Tshwane Workers Forum, said they were not giving up and would to go back to the drawing board and reapply to picket. The workers were heading to picket outside Tshwane House when they were stopped by the head of human resources, who informed them that employees of the city had to follow certain procedures in order to picket. The group had got permission under the Gatherings Act, but were informed the picket had not been approved by the city. Apparently, the workers had to get additional permission to picket or march because they were city workers. Nkabinde said they also received the bad news that a promised 5.4% wage increase owed to workers was not going to be realised. He indicated that there was also the matter of 182 employees who were dismissed after the municipal strike in 2021. SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) regional secretary Donald Monakisi said the union had not changed its position that the 3.5% salary increase, owed to workers since 2021, had to be honoured.

• Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Marizka Coetzer at The Citizen

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