THE South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) in Tshwane plans to demand the payment of R800 to all employees who were paid late last month due to the outstanding verification of their employment status.
Regional secretary, Mpho Tladinyane, said the amount would be used to settle the interest debt incurred by workers as a result of unpaid debit orders.
The union also called for the employer to ensure that there was consequence management for the person who “misled the City to take an uninformed decision” which had negatively affected workers.
“It is against this background that Samwu tabled the matter at the local labour forum, demanding that all those whose salaries were recalled be paid R800 as compensation for losses incurred,” Tladinyane said.
The City of Tshwane undertook to embark on a verification process after the Department of Group Audit and Risk flagged some employees suspected of being employed through fraudulent means.
During investigations, head administrator Mpho Nawa said the City had identified1 400 “ghost workers” in its system.
There are complaints that the metro had withheld salaries of about 7 000 employees, whose employment statuses had not not yet been verified before pay day last month.
In seeking a solution to the impasse, the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union approached the Labour Court to challenge the decision. The union won the case with the ruling that recalling salaries of workers had been unlawful.
Tladinyane said: “Unions lodged urgent court challenges against a tyrant City leadership. In our case, the City settled out of court and committed to pay all employees.”
Acting city manager, Masabata Mutlaneng, said she was unaware about the call that has been made by Samwu.