SAMWU Welcomes Bargaining Council Ruling Against Mayor Mashaba 

29 January 2018

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) notes and welcomes the ruling by the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC)  Gauteng Region that Mayor Herman Mashaba and his administration have been unfairly treating workers at the City of Johannesburg. 

Last year, Mashaba intensified his crusade against workers, unfairly targeting, dismissing and suspending them through the media. At the instruction of the mayor, workers at the City’s Revenue Department were suspended on allegations of fraud and corruption without any thread of evidence or having have dealt with the matter through normal internal disciplinary procedures. Essentially Mashaba parades himself as a corruption buster at the expense of workers and their livelihoods. 

We are pleased to report that we had taken the matter to the SALGBC on the basis that these workers were unfairly treated by the City. On the 23rd January, the SALGBC ruled that the suspensions of these workers constituted unfair labour practice in terms of the Labour Relations Acts and as such ordered that the uplifting of the suspensions and that  they return to work by the 5th February. 

In addition to the uplifting of the illegal and unlawful suspension of our members, a criminal ( 999/05/2017) which the City of Johannesburg had opened was withdrawn against our members on the basis that there was nothing linking them to the so called "fraud and corruption". 

Workers at the City’s Revenue Department are part of a larger group which have been dealt harshly by this administration. There are currently workers across the City who have been on suspension for almost a year without disciplinary action taken against them. We will therefore be once again approaching the SALGBC to have all suspensions to be ruled unlawful so that workers can return to work and service the communities which they were employed to. 

We cannot allow a situation wherein workers are sacrificed by the employer in order to advance political agendas. These are people who have to be treated with fairness, dignity and that all disciplinary action, in any should be within the confines of the law.

Issued by Bafana Zungu, Regional Secretary, SAMWU Greater Johannesburg, 29 January 2018