EWN writes that the City of Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink has insisted that he and his team are not opposed to talking to trade unions. As the protracted municipal strike in the capiatl continues, Cosatu had planned to hand over a memorandum of demands to Brink last Friday but he said that by the time it arrived, after 1.30 pm that afternoon, he was not available. And while he sent city manager, Johann Mettler, in his place, Mettler wound up leaving before he could receive the memorandum, apparently after the crowd became unruly. Brink said they would accept any memorandum, as long as it was received in a peaceful manner.

“We’ll take the memorandum whether they give it in person or email it, however the delivery is and we’ll respond substantively. I want to emphasise this point – the city is not opposed to talking to trade unions, we respect the collective bargaining process, we respect the role of unions.” The Congress of South African Trade Unions’ (Cosatu’s) Gauteng chairperson, Amos Monyela, meanwhile, has accused Brink of misinforming the public when it comes to the arrangements that had been made to hand over the memorandum. “He’s misinforming the public… We were supposed to submit a memorandum at 2.30 and we were there at 1.30. So even our letter was clear.”

by Bernadette Wicks