ActionSA says City of Tshwane residents are the most affected in the strike

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While City of Tshwane remains firm on it’s decision to not give salary to municipal employees, the residents in the capital cities still remains to lost negatively affected by lack of service delivery.

Employees in the municipality affiliated to various unions have decided to down tools since July.

This led to numerous employees who were found working despite the downing of tools being attacked and various municipal vehicles and trucks being torched both in and outside the CBD.

The coalition partner in the metro municipality, Action SA decided to visit several parts of the city where most of the residents were complaining about lack of service delivery and mostly refuse that has not been collected since July.

City Mayor Cilliers Brink said that the municipality is going through a financial strain and cannot afford any salary increment.

As a result of the strike, over 100 employees have been dismissed.

“As a committed partner of the multi-party government, ActionSA agrees that the city’s finances should be stabilised following years of instability and we continue to stand against any form of vandalism of public property.”

“However, this must be balanced by the legitimate request of municipal unions who qualify for salary increases – as recently confirmed by the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC) – and the consequent need for stability of service delivery in Tshwane.”

Action SA said that the parties, municipality and unions still need to come up with an agreement at some point.

“We have already raised our concerns at the multi-party coalition management committee where ActionSA engaged Cilliers Brink urging a departure from the dismissal of municipal workers’ concerns and rather to engage proactively with unions in the best interest of the residents of the city. This meeting did not find agreement and therefore the matter has been referred to the national coalition oversight group.”

The oarty also suggested that the City is being unfair to both the employees and residents.

“It is not good enough for Brink and the DA to force residents to live without refuse removal or other basic services in order to avoid the rational need to sit down and engage the unions in order to achieve the compromise that gets service delivery back again. It is also not acceptable for the City to ignore the soaring cost of living increases that municipal workers, like all other South Africans, experience.”