Samwu negotiating wages without worker mandate

DIVISIONS within the labour federation Cosatu have placed wage negotiations between municipal workers and their employer in jeopardy.

This comes as the largest municipal workers union, the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), is said to be negotiating wage increases without a legitimate mandate from workers.

The union is accused of failing to hold consultation meetings with workers, as is the norm before entering into negotiations with their employer, the SA Local Government Association (Salga).

“They have submitted a wage demand to the bargaining council on behalf of Samwu members without getting a mandate,” said disgruntled Samwu member Sello Selepe.

He said Samwu resorted to duplicating demands presented by their rival union, the Independent Municipal Trade Union (Imatu).

Samwu spokesman Papikie Mohale admitted the union had not convened a bargaining conference.

“But we have consulted workers extensively and we have a mandate. We agree that we should have held the bargaining conference, but the bottom line is that we consulted our members.”

He denied Samwu had copied Imatu’s demands.

“We consulted Imatu and then we came up with a list of common demands.”

Salga spokesman Tahir Sema said there were concerns that decisions that would be reached at the bargaining council could be rejected by workers since there were allegations that they were not consulted.

“If there is no mandate from workers because proper consultations were not held, we will have a serious problem at the end because we will have a disgruntled work force.”