Durban -Councillors in eThekwini Municipality have had enough of the endless strikes by workers that disrupt the city’s key services and have called for those who are tired of working for the municipality to “ship out”.
The councillors expressed their frustration during the executive committee meeting yesterday after it emerged that refuse collection in parts of the city had again been disrupted because workers had downed tools.
Councillors said a note had been posted on the city’s website which stated that refuse collection services had been disrupted after the workers downed tools.
It emerged that the latest incident might not be a direct labour dispute, but linked to a demand for a new union that is organising in eThekwini, which is seeking for official recognition by the municipality.
This incident came just a week after Durban Solid Waste staff members downed tools, protesting against the reduction of their overtime.
The city recently implemented a policy that cuts overtime pay by 50% and limits work hours to 32 hours per worker each month.
DA councillor Thabani Mthethwa said workers downing tools at any random time without following proper processes for a legal strike, and thereby disrupting service delivery, was becoming intolerable.
Deputy mayor Philani Mavundla said he had been briefed on the matter, saying it was led by a union that was looking to organise in eThekwini.
He said he had called for those workers who have downed tools to have their salaries cut through the implementation of the no work, no pay policy.
Other councillors said they had had enough of the endless labour disputes, saying it was time to intervene.
“This thing of workers downing tools every time is not acceptable. I have been in this city for years and things have never been this bad,” said the IFP’s Mdu Nkosi.
He said it was high time councillors in the executive committee intervened. “Remember, colleagues, that as executive committee councillors we are full time, it’s time we got close to this situation.
“We have had people striking for overtime pay and yet the quality of the work is not satisfactory.”
The ANC’s Nkosenhle Madlala said the situation was concerning, but the city first needed to tighten controls on its side before tackling the workers.
“We hear there are people working 206 hours, which is physically impossible.
“There is a story about someone who earned R72 000, but their salary is R25 000, so if you include overtime, their salary is now R72 000.
“The person might have claimed those hours, but there is a manager who signed off on these hours without questioning that claim,” said Madlala.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda, who has long complained about the quality of the work by the city workers, said he and councillor Madlala were working on a plan and would be meeting with senior and lower level managers to address the workers’ output in terms of the cleanliness of the city.
Kaunda said he had had enough of the workers downing tools.
“People should shape up and those who no longer want to work for the city should ship out,” he said.