Strike by thousands of Bay municipal workers called to ‘test powers’

THE South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) leadership has made a call to its 4 300 members at the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality to down tools today in a message to mayor Athol Trollip.

Bay municipal workers in waste management, water, sanitation and electricity will instead march on the City Hall in resistance to the new overtime policy and issues related to long-service bonuses.

At a general mass meeting at the Nangoza Jebe Hall in New Brighton yesterday, Samwu leadership said the one-day strike was for workers to “test their powers” by staying away from work for a day.

Municipal workers have refused to work overtime after a new policy came into effect on October 1.

Until then, qualifying employees could claim time and a half for each hour of overtime worked on Saturdays and double time for work on Sundays, according to a 2011 collective agreement.

Trollip has described the matter as sabotage, with the city opening criminal cases at five police stations.

Workers’ gripes also include long-service bonus back-pay dating back to 2014.

The city has rejected a proposal by the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu), saying it cannot afford to foot the R80-million proposed bill.

Samwu regional secretary Mqondisi Nodongwe said they had made it clear to the city they would no longer tolerate apartheid tendencies. “It is clear [they] don’t respect us.” Nodongwe said the workers did not recognise the new overtime policy and as far as they were concerned the longstanding agreement was still in effect.

He said they were expecting more than half of their 4 300 members to join the march from Sydenham tomorrow.

Imatu regional manager Churchill Motapho said a general meeting for members would sit next week where a decision on the next step would be taken.

City manager Johann Mettler said of the march: “The workers have not applied for the right to participate . . . although the march was approved, their participation is not – they did not go through the proper channels.

“Everybody who participates will be regarded as unlawful and no work, no remuneration will apply.” Disciplinary action could also be taken, if necessary.