EMLM may have to find R2.4m in unpaid wages

Enoch Mgijima Local Municipality is facing a battle to pay its employees’ minimum wage and its traffic officers for overtime. This has led to the suspension of the 11 traffic officers in Komani who have been off work for two months.

It is alleged the municipality currently owes its workers about R2.4m in minimum wages.

An insider said the employees had won the case against the municipality after taking the matter to the CCMA. The municipality had lost because senior officials were not attending the case, instead sending someone who had no powers to make decisions.

However, the matter had since led to the sherrif visiting the municipality at some point with plans to attach some of the institution’s assets to recover the unpaid minimum wages. The mayor’s and speaker’s vehicles along with the newly bought TLB were said to be some of the items that were eyed for repossession.

Commenting on the minimum wage matter, EMLM spokesperson Lonwabo Kowa said no items were repossessed and the municipality had lodged an application for the matter to be reviewed at the labour court.

“We can confirm that a default judgment on the matter was handed down. The hearing sat without the presence of the municipality as no notice or invitation was received.

Disciplinary matters will always be an issue

“The municipality has since applied for the review of the matter and the sheriff’s execution is no longer continuing pending the application,” he said.

Some employees had alleged relatives of senior officials had been receiving their minimum wages while the rest of the workers were not.

In response, Kowa said: “The municipality has no knowledge of employees related to senior management getting high wages. Any person with such information may come forward and report to the municipality. “

Kowa said the reasons the municipality could not pay the minimum wage were internal employee-related issues.

He said details on when the traffic officers were to return to work were an internal matter.

One of the 11 traffic officers who was off work said: “We have not received our overtime since the lockdown because we were working at that time. We also want the R2,000 difference for flexi hours which Tarkastad traffic officers were getting paid for three years. We received R4,000 while they were receiving R6,000.

“After we went forward, the municipality took a decision to put an end to the system.”

He said all traffic officers from Komani were suspended and the municipality was making use of traffic officers from Tarkastad to operate in Komani. “But they got suspended after we took the matter up with Makanda high court.”

“Disciplinary matters will always be an issue between the employer and employee. No information will be shared in the media regarding these cases,” said Kowa.