Durban – Disgruntled staff members from the Durban Solid Waste unit took their concerns over cuts to overtime pay to the Durban City Hall on Wednesday morning.
The staff members have been on a go-slow since Monday.
Several DSW trucks were seen at the city hall and the head of DSW, Raymond Rampersad, confirmed that his unit’s trucks were there.
He said workers had abandoned their work in order to attend a meeting with deputy mayor Philani Mavundla over the overtime issue. He said workers were not meant to be at the meeting.
“They took their vehicles to the city hall and parked them there; they are not supposed to be there,” said Rampersad.
“There is a meeting that is scheduled with the office of the deputy mayor, but only the shop stewards are invited to that meeting, the staff are not,” warned Rampersad.
He warned that action would be taken against the workers.
The staff members in DSW that are responsible for sweeping and collections have been on a go-slow since Monday after the council approved a 50% cut in overtime pay across all units in favour of employing people to fill the vacancies in those units.
DA councillor Billy Mzamo said: “We know that they are near city hall, the trucks are there. Some are sitting in their trucks while others are standing outside them. The municipality has said this is an illegal strike.”
Mzamo said the party supported the decision to minimise overtime costs and continued to urge the municipality management not to give in and remove the 50% overtime cut.
“It is common knowledge that the overtime payment system has been abused and even left open to alleged political interference with no consequence management. Instead of ensuring that the city is clean, the overtime system seeks to foster a flawed incentive structure which is clearly bloating the cost of keeping the city clean,” he said.