Samwu: Pikitup strikers deserve decent pay

Striking Pikitup staff members affiliated to Samwu caused havoc when they marched through the streets of Johannesburg and Braamfontein in 2015. File picture: Independent Media

Striking Pikitup staff members affiliated to Samwu caused havoc when they marched through the streets of Johannesburg and Braamfontein in 2015. File picture: Independent Media

Published Mar 16, 2016

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Johannesburg - Pikitup workers who downed tools last week face dismissal for persisting with their unprotected strike.

While the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) is steadfast in its support for the striking workers, the City of Joburg said yesterday it was busy with a process to confirm a list of those who have abstained from work, so that they could be served with dismissal letters.

Workers embarked on another strike last week, demanding the dismissal of Pikitup managing director Amanda Nair.

Read: Strikers ignore Pikitup's warnings

They are also demanding salary increases.

It was the third time the disgruntled workers had embarked on a strike in three months.

Environmental and infrastructure services spokesman Anda Mbikwana said yesterday: “We are still in the process to see who managed to come and those who didn’t.”

He, however, encouraged residents to continue putting out their bins as usual. “A service provider was appointed,” he said, adding that Joburg metro police officers would be on the lookout for those trying to intimidate the stand-in workers.

Samwu’s deputy regional secretary, Paul Tlhabang, said threats of dismissal would deter them.”For now, our members are a priority. They are the lowest paid employees in the city and we cannot allow that to continue,” he said.

“If the ANC government want to dismiss 4 000 workers they will be committing political suicide. Be sure that we will be supporting our members until they get what they deserve as workers of the city, which is a decent salary.”

Pikitup spokesman Jacky Mashapu urged residents and business owners to contact the Pikitup call centre for any complaints related to refuse collection and related queries on 0860 562874.

Mashapu said details of the collection schedule would be available on the Pikitup website - www.pikitup.co.za .

[email protected]

THE STAR

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