SAMWU to Oppose Tshwane Retrenchments
3 October 2016
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has learnt of plans by the Democratic Alliance to retrench staff at the City of Tshwane municipality and other municipalities across the country. This follows the DA’s federal executive meeting which gave the directive to mayors in municipalities they run, particularly in Tshwane to downsize municipal staff.
These anti-worker plans by the DA will leave thousands of workers out of jobs with the City of Tshwane alone retrenching over 900 workers. As the largest trade union in local government we will oppose this move by the municipality. We are convinced that this plan is ill-conceived and ill-planned.
Of great concern to us is that these retrenchment and restructuring plans have relevant forums where labour is consulted. Organised labour has not been consulted in this regard, except through the media. The foreign tendency by the DA to negotiate in the media and disregard consultation forums cannot be condoned. SAMWU as a revolutionary trade union calls on all the working class and revolutionary people of Tshwane to stand against the DA’s intention to roll back creation of jobs.
It is very clear that the DA does not care about the living conditions of the residents of Tshwane and seeks to increase poverty levels of the working class, increase unemployment and inequality. Seemingly the DA has waged war against workers, as municipal workers we will obviously have to rise and defend our own. We cannot allow a situations wherein workers are booted out work especially given the country’s high levels of unemployment and the current state of our economy.
The DA got votes fraudulently by promising voters jobs yet now they are doing the exact opposite. We cant be saying we want municipalities to employ more people but then the municipality is doing the direct opposite.
Making announcements of eminent retrenchments when workers are preparing to celebrate International Decent Work Day is a spit on the faces of workers. We have therefore written to the municipality demanding an urgent meeting in which we will be demanding that all employees employed on contract basis, and those employed through the EPWP programme be employed permanently and directly by the municipality.
We will therefore be monitoring all municipalities particularly those governed by the DA. Should a single worker be touched, we will be forced to act decisively in the best interest of our members.
Issued by Mpho Tladinyane, Regional Secretary, SAMWU Tshwane Region, 3 October 2016
