Durban - Following a year of ongoing industrial action to have colleagues permanently employed, the eThekwini municipality has converted more than 1 000 contract jobs into permanent posts. Metro police employees make up most of the beneficiaries.
The conversion is effective from December 1.
The 1 229 permanent contracts come from 191 fixed-term contract staff and 1 038 short-term contract staff.
The new permanent jobs are expected to cost the municipality R27.6 million in the 2012/13 financial year.
However, the municipality said the total cost to the council of the conversion of the 191 fixed-term contract staff would not lead to any additional costs as their current conditions of service included the payment of full council benefits.
Metro police members of the union Samwu embarked on a campaign to have their colleagues permanently employed last December. They also called for the axing of metro police boss Eugene Nzama.
The Mercury understands that Nzama was offered two years’ salary to leave his job or he could be redeployed to another unit. He has apparently declined both offers. - The Mercury