An 11th-hour deal between Pikitup and striking SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) workers has saved Joburg residents from more trash piling up on the city’s streets over the festive season.
Pikitup managed to avert a crisis of another illegal strike by successfully negotiating an extra R1 000 as a 14th cheque for workers.
They will also receive an extra R1 000 with their January salaries, which will cover the workers for the period before the City of Joburg re-examines pay structures for all its entities, at the end of February.
“We agreed on one issue, and that was that members will receive an additional payment of R1 000 on Tuesday and R1 000 again in January,” Samwu deputy regional secretary Paul Tlhabang told the Saturday Star last night. He said the decision to compensate employees with this additional payment will be officially finalised at a meeting today.
Yesterday’s meeting came after a city-wide protest over unresolved salary disparities. In November, Samwu workers embarked on a two-week strike demanding a R10 000 basic salary for Pikitup workers.
The union also called for the axing of the company’s managing director, Amanda Nair, whom they accused of corrupt practices and nepotism. According to a statement from Gauteng Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs MEC Jacob Mamabolo’s office, the current negotiations with workers are part of a city-wide process and a broader discussion over issues including the introduction of an incentive scheme for workers and a re-evaluation of Pikitup staff salaries.
Currently, a refuse remover at Pikitup is paid R6 000 a month, making them the lowest paid in the city.
Their previous unprotected strike ended when a political facilitated agreement being signed on December 3, guaranteeing their issues would be tabled by the end of February.
Pikitup spokesman Jacky Mashapu said earlier yesterday that Pikitup was surprised by the illegal work stoppage yesterday.
However, Samwu deputy regional secretary Paul Tlhabang said there was never a strike and that members had temporarily left their duties because of confusion over whether they would receive bonuses this month.
Any which way, Joburg residents will be breathing a sigh of relief that an agreement was reached and they can ring in the new year without mountains of garbage building up outoutside their homes.
Saturday Star