Cape Town - The City of Cape Town announced on Monday that it had agreed to address some of the key concerns of the major municipal union as part of an agreement which will see the suspension of strike action.
The City said in a statement that it had held extensive engagements with the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) on a number of unresolved staff grievances which had been ongoing since June 2014 and, following a brief period of strike action, marathon talks had continued during both April and May this year.
The City’s Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, and officials had met with a Samwu delegation in early May and the parties had agreed on an action team to discuss Samwu’s demands.
“The parties have considered the report from the action team and have agreed to implement the relevant actions and outcomes as set out in the report, which lists the 34 grievances and which further provides input on their resolutions,” the City said.
“Both parties have now mandated the action team, headed by the City’s Executive Director for Corporate Services, to oversee the implementation of the issues set out and the Executive Mayor, City Manager and the Regional Chairperson of Samwu have officially signed the settlement agreement today, 1 June 2015.
“As a result, the City welcomes Samwu’s undertaking to suspend all strike action for 90 days in respect of the issues in dispute and to monitor the progress of resolution.”
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Councillor Xanthea Limberg, said: “The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa allows for workers at all levels to be represented by trade unions. As an administration that is committed to the democratic principle of collective bargaining and holistic dispute resolution, we wholeheartedly welcome the patience and commitment demonstrated by both parties as we have worked tirelessly to reach agreement. Today we did that.”
ANA