‘We will fight to the grave for minimum wage’
EXPANDED Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers again marched to the office of the MEC for Co-operative Governance, Human Settlements and Traditional Affairs (Coghsta) yesterday morning, demanding that they be paid the R3 500 minimum wage.
The provincial organiser of the South African Liberated Public Sector Workers Union (Salipswu), Thapelo Thole, said that they would intensify strike action and shut down all municipal services if their demands were not met.
“We will continue to fight to the grave for our increments that have already been implemented in other provinces. The workers waited for the whole day on Friday for the director to address them and he never arrived. Workers are becoming increasingly frustrated. We will wait until Thursday and then decide on the next course of action,” said Thole.
He added that the workers were refusing to resume their duties until the matter had been sorted out.
“The MEC for Coghsta told us to go back to work and invited a delegation consisting of the unions and representatives of the workers to attend the council meeting on Thursday. We will give the MEC the benefit of the doubt and attend the meeting. However, the item of the minimum wages for EPWP workers has not been included on the agenda. Last week they made an excuse to blame the workers for posing a threat and therefore the (Sol Plaatje special) council meeting could not take place. They are trying to make us swim in a pool that has no water.”
The spokesperson for the Department of Coghsta, Xhanti Teki, indicated that the MEC, Bentley Vass, had met with the workers yesterday morning.
“He made a commitment to engage Sol Plaatje Municipality on Thursday to find a resolution to the situation. The MEC requested workers to go back to work in the meantime and also invited them to join the council meeting on Thursday.”