Durban — Just a day after the new KwaZulu-Natal ANC leadership was elected, it is now on a collision course with Cosatu over dismissed municipality workers.
Cosatu is fuming at the new leadership after it said it was not going to entertain the issue of 200 Newcastle and 136 Ugu municipality workers.
At the leadership’s first media briefing on Sunday, the new party treasurer, Dr Ntuthuko Mahlaba, a former Newcastle mayor, said the workers were fired fairly, dismissing numerous calls by Cosatu for their reinstatement.
Prior to the elective conference, Cosatu, the SACP and SA Municipal Workers Union, in a joint statement, had slammed the outgoing ANC provincial leadership under Premier Sihle Zikalala for failing to resolve the issue.
They called on the incoming leadership to ensure that the matter was resolved. The federation and the SACP repeated their plea to reinstate the workers during their messages of support at the ANC conference on Friday.
Mahlaba, who had to be shielded by bodyguards when angry workers stormed the council meeting, demanding to be paid overtime for their work, poured cold water on the alliance partners’ call. He said due processes were followed in dismissing the workers, which was why they had not been reinstated. He said he was no longer the mayor in Newcastle and blamed people who had made “empty promises” to the workers.
"As far as I know all due processes were followed in dismissing those workers; the status quo remains. I know there are people who made promises they cannot fulfil – to reinstate those workers," said Mahlaba.
Cosatu provincial secretary Edwin Mkhize hit back at the newly elected leadership, calling Mahlaba arrogant.
He warned the new leadership that if they were arrogant, workers would be arrogant towards them, calling on newly elected chairperson Siboniso Duma to call Mahlaba to order.
Mkhize said Mahlaba did not understand the meaning of due processes because the matter was still in the Labour Court.
This was because his administration was found to have not followed due process stipulated by the bargaining council which had ordered the municipality to start the disciplinary process afresh.
Mahlaba had ignored the bargaining council order while he was still mayor, Mkhize said. The new Newcastle Local Municipality leadership has started the process to reinstate the workers, he said. The workers were supposed to start early in the month but the matter was referred to the Labour Court to determine whether or not their reinstatement must be retrospective, he said.
"I do not know what Mahlaba is talking about. I think he lacks the understanding and meaning of due processes because he should have known that the bargaining council ruled in favour of the workers. The matter is in court where the legality of the processes he followed was still being challenged," said Mkhize.
The 200 Newcastle workers were dismissed in 2019, while 136 Ugu District Municipality staff were fired in 2020. Mkhize said their matter, too, was still in court.
Daily News