COSATU Gauteng disturbed by turbulent labour relations environment under the DA/EFF coalition government in the City of Tshwane
6 February 2017
COSATU in Gauteng is disturbed by turbulent labour relations environment under the DA/EFF coalition government in the City of Tshwane. Workers in the City have been confronted by serious attacks from the mayor and a number of senior managers.
The City of Tshwane has recently been experiencing high number of racism cases. One senior manager known to SAMWU at the electricity division in Centurion called workers kaffirs and baboons and threatened to close their rest rooms. Workers are so afraid of him to the extent that when they see him they ran for cover.
The matter was brought to the attention of the employer and nothing has been done to date. At the Emergency services Department, one senior manager suspended workers without following due process, when asked to reverse the suspension she flatly refuses.
The City is hell-bent at destroying jobs, it has been reported that 305 contract field workers have been terminated and 153 community health workers have been threatened with dismissal and their salaries have since been stopped.
The employer has resorted to bullying EPWP workers into signing new employment contracts by stopping their salaries contrary to the commitment that the said contracts will be refined before being availed to workers. A large number of EPWP workers were not paid their salaries even when an agreement with the City was concluded.
Nine SAMWU members ,who were peacefully demonstrating in the City were arrested for doing nothing wrong. The City continues to deal with labour related matters through court interdicts. COSATU in Gauteng will not leave all of these shenanigans to continue unchallenged. We will work together with SAMWU to deal with this unfortunate behaviour by the DA/EFF run municipality.
The mayor of the City of Tshwane has also resorted to a campaign that seeks to destabilize and liquidate SAMWU ,by isolating the Regional Secretary from other leaders, to the extent that he alleges that the Regional Secretary, Mpho Tladinyane is not a shop-steward and sooner or later he will be recalled as a full time shop-steward. He has also threatened to terminate his employment contract with the City of Tshwane if he does not relinquish his position.
The mayor of the City of Tshwane has resorted to a campaign that seeks to destabilize and liquidate SAMWU by isolating the Regional Secretary from other leaders, to the extent that he alleges that the Regional Secretary is not a shop-steward and sooner or later he will be recalled as a full time shop-steward.
Issued by Dumisani Dakile, Provincial Secretary, COSATU Gauteng, 6 February 2017
