EFF lends support to strike by MyCiTi employees
16 October 2018
EFF Cape metro secretary Banzi Dambuza says that he wants MyCiTi workers, who downed their tools for a second day on Tuesday, to be heard and answered.
About 250 MyCiTi employees protested at the Cape Town Civic Centre on Tuesday.
On Monday, the strikers promised to continue with their work stoppage if their demands for better pay and working conditions were not met.
Patrick Mabindisa, one of the strike leaders, has said that the strike action would be escalated if Brett Herron, City of Cape Town mayoral committee member for transport and urban development, did not engage in open talks with them.
Even though Herron declined the invitation to talk to the crowd on Monday, Mabindisa confirmed that escalating the strike action was on hold.
"The workers said we must wait for now. We are still planning on meeting them [local taxi owners]. It [escalation] is in progress," he said.
"Only if we are ignored the same way as yesterday, then we are going to go to other avenues and try to seek attention," he added.
The crowd had grown in number since Monday.
"The EFF came in to show support to us. We requested them to try and intervene in this matter," Mabindisa said.
Dambuza went to the Cape Town Civic Centre early this morning in an effort to meet with Herron.
'Resolute, militant and disciplined'
Herron did not receive them, but said that he would come out to speak to the strikers at 11:00, Dambuza said.
Herron had still not addressed the strikers at 11:55.
According to Mabindisa, Herron said he would not "give us an ear, because this is an illegal strike".
In an official statement on Monday, Herron urged "those who have embarked on this strike to use the structures and processes in place to address any grievances or concerns they may have with their employment".
Despite the City's reluctance to engage with the strikers, Dambuza pushed for continued action.
"We are going to be resolute, militant and disciplined. We must make sure that we are one. We want people to be answered," he told an energised crowd.
It is unclear how long the strike will continue. According to Mabindisa, the MyCiTi strikers are willing to resume work as soon as their concerns for better working conditions for better pay are received by the City of Cape Town.
"We are willing to end it any minute after he [Herron] meets us and gives us a commitment to resolve our issues," Mabindisa said.
