eThekwini -In an effort to meet its employment equity targets, the eThekwini Municipality is “snubbing” “experienced” staff and instead hiring external, “clueless women” to senior positions.
The discontent over this issue is rapidly building within the municipal workforce, resulting in disgruntled staff leaving the city in their hordes, labour unions have claimed.
Repeated and clear calls for this “injustice” to be addressed are falling on deaf ears, the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) claim.
However, eThekwini spokeswoman Tozi Mthethwa disputed union claims, pointing out that two thirds of the workforce were male. She also said unions had been extensively consulted over the employment equity plan, and the city was determined to right the wrongs of the past.
Samwu’s eThekwini regional deputy secretary, Pretty Shange, said: “We have continuously raised this issue with the city manager.
“Most positions in the municipality have recently been filled by external people. I’m talking about senior positions – positions of authority. City leaders are robbing us – that is our biggest challenge. They are not assisting our members when it comes to promotions. They are giving jobs to outside people who, when they get to the municipality, are entrusted with taking decisions.”
She said this was causing “a hell of a frustration to staff” and tarnishing the image of women.
“They say they are addressing imbalances of the past and they need to employ more women. Being a woman myself, I do appreciate that, but we won’t stand the fact that deserving internal female –- and male – staff are being cheated. They are not getting any promotions.”
Imatu regional manager Themba Shezi concurred, but also emphasised that the union was not against the employment equity plan.
“The city has about 12 000 women in its employ, and it can’t be claimed that all these people have skills to take on these duties. The municipality is employing people with CVs that are not that really impressive, if you consider that size of the municipality and the places that these people are coming from.
Ignored
“These are the things that really spark anger. It’s understandable if they hire someone with really impeccable skills. They are bringing in average people, while people with above-average skills are ignored. It’s wrong.”
Both said the issue was consistently raised on various platforms and at meetings, but was not being attended to. They said top-rank positions were being “reserved for external people”.
Shezi said some staff kept quiet and did not lodge grievances about appointments for fear of victimisation.
“These people came from the lower ranks of the organisation, but can’t get to the top – despite having the requisite qualifications.”
l Mthethwa dismissed the allegations as “factually incorrect”.
The recruitment statistics revealed that there was “a fair balance of external recruits versus promotions at senior management level”.
Last year a draft employment equity plan was introduced which aimed to double the number of African women working for the municipality by 2018.
Figures contained in the equity plan revealed that by June last year, the majority (67.1%) of city staff were male. The municipality then hired 21 904 people, of whom 14 697 were male – 9 958 African, 460 coloured, 3 573 Indian and 706 white.
The city was “fully committed to ensuring that imbalances of the past are eliminated through our current employment strategy which focuses on the development and promotion of women” she said.
THE MERCURY