SAMWU Special NEC Statement
22 May 2015
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) held a special National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on the 22 May 2015. The meeting was called to deal with current salary and wage negotiations that the union currently engaged in with SALGA, WSSA and Water Boards. We are in these negotiations at a time wherein the cost of living is forever increasing, coupled with the City of Tshwane announcing new municipal tariffs that are above inflation setting precedent for other municipalities to follow suit. This is also after the Deputy President announced a forced marriage between motorists and etolls, a marriage that will further increase the financial burden on South Africans, more especially workers and the poor.
SALGA
The NEC noted with concern the snail pace at which negotiations are continuing more especially negotiations with SALGA. The NEC deliberated and expressed its dissatisfaction with National Treasury undermining collective bargaining through its consistent interference in the negotiation processes. Collective bargaining remains some of the fruits of a democratic South Africa and as such we cannot allow any state department to take that away from workers, this would be a spit at the grave of those (especially workers) who fought and died for all of us to enjoy these constitutional rights.
Collective Bargain cannot be done through legislation but through earnest negotiations between parties. Otherwise there would be no need for negotiations, unions could just appeal to National Treasury to ask for a word from above as to what workers should get. We therefore urge SALGA to resist negotiating on the basis of what has been whispered to them by National Treasury. We also urge National Treasury to desist from further interference as this will be seen as a direct provocation to municipal workers.
We have also deliberated on attempts by SALGA to sneak into negotiations issues that have noting to do with the reasons we are currently in the Bargaining Council. SALGA insists on unions committing to the signing on the signing of the service charter. This charter is a carbon copy of what was presented to the public service not a document that has been crafted by SALGA. We cannot be discussing service charter while SALGA is failing to properly remunerate workers.
A happy and well remunerated employee is a productive employee, this is the charter we are interested in. The proposed charter is secondary to us, of primary concern is the conclusion of these negotiations as they are bread and butter issues of our members. We have therefore resolved that we will not be engaging SALGA on this charter of theirs until such a time that the wage negotiations are concluded and we have been afforded ample time to properly consult our members.
We are convinced that SALGA is not taking us serious, we are negotiating with SALGA officials not SALGA principals, principals who have by the way received highly inflated salary increases of over R60 000 individually, their salary increase is alone more that what most municipal workers get.
This is indicative that they do not want to take responsibility and ensure that their officials commit to ensuring that negotiations conclude timeously. It has also come to our attention that the negotiation team stands to be given incentives should they ensure that municipal workers do not get a double digit increase. This is sickening given the fact that some of those officials are municipal workers.
The fact that SALGA does not want to budge on our demand of housing allowance leaves much to be desired. We will not be backing on our demand of an across the board housing allowance of R1500. The NEC rejected SALGA’s insistence on housing subsidy, we demand housing allowance.
Housing subsidy would only benefit individuals who are currently servicing bonds, the fact that SALGA continues to pay its employees slave wages means they are perpetually in the circle of poverty and as such they would not qualify for bonds. In deed SALGA never loved municipal workers. We are of the firm believe that housing subsidy would ensure that municipal workers live in dignity noting that there are those who do not necessarily want to purchase houses in their places of work but have opted to build homes for themselves where they originate from as a result of inward migration.
WSSA
We need to ensure that WSSA has uniform conditions of service for this sector, we are therefore currently in the process of consulting our members on the latest offer which was presented by WSSA. We are pleased to announce that our members are at an advanced state of accepting the draft proposal towards a collective agreement which includes.
1. A multiyear agreement for the years 2015 to 2018
2. A 7% across the board salary increase for year 2015/2016 and CPI +1% for the remainder of the agreement.
3. A service bonus of 10%
4. 9.5% employer contribution towards provident fund while employees will contribute 6%
5. A Green and Blue Drop incentive of R2500 for supervisors, R1500 for Process Controllers, Shift Assistants, Lab Assistants and Bell Press Operators, R1100 for General Assistants, Handy Man and Artisan Assistants.
6. Long service bonus of R2000 to R7000
7. Both the Medical Aid and Provident Fund are issues that will be further discussed by parties through normal bargaining structutres. Additional the union will be insisting on the discussions on housing allowance.
We remain optimistic that the WSSA offer would be accepted by our members. We would further be consolidating the demands of Water Boards and look forward to the 3rd round of negotiations with SALGA. Our demands remain unchanged, we trust that SALGA will show the same commitment we have shown in ensuring that a new collective agreement is reached before the current one lapses. SALGA Never Loved Us!
Statement issued by Walter Theledi, SAMWU General Secretary, May 23 2015
