RNM, SAMWU working to end municipal strike

East Coast Radio reports that the South African Municipal Workers’ Union says there may be light at the end of the tunnel for Ray Nkonyeni Municipality which is in disarray. Union leaders and municipal officials are still in talks to resolve an impasse over job grading and back pay related to the process. Senior employees and councillors were moved to a higher salary grade several years ago.

Workers say they have been waiting too long for their upgrades. This has left residents in Port Shepstone and surrounds, businesses, and the tourism industry to fend for themselves as the near three-month long strike continues. MEC for the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Thulasizwe Buthelezi visited the south coast town two weeks ago and gave them a three-week deadline to resolve the deadlock.

Municipal manager Khetha Zulu says they hope they will be able to have an agreement by next week. “We have in the last two days had back-to-back meetings for a couple of hours, I think at this stage we are confident we are going to be getting into a solution quite soon,” said Zulu. “Unfortunately understanding the nature of the negotiations, I am not able to give details of where we are and what we about to resolve on, but I can say looking at having the agreement in the next couple of days if everything goes according to plan.”

Meanwhile five municipal workers belonging to SAWMU were placed on suspension by the municipality this week. Regional Secretary Ntombifuthi Mzotho says the group were accused of instigating the ongoing strike. “We don’t believe that because most of the workers they are having the mutual interest get their right enforced. So, how the management picked five members, out of more than 900 more members.”

by Gcinokuhle Malinga

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