The SA Municipal Worker’s Union (Samwu) in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has threatened to approach the CCMA over the non-payment of allowances and overtime.
Samwu regional secretary Melikhaya Kortjan said the municipality had issued a memorandum that only basic salaries would be paid for April and that a process to pay all outstanding allowances would be undertaken after lockdown.
“That was not [the] agreement we had. We were under the impression after [a] meeting on March 24 that payroll and supply chain staff would be placed on special leave but would be called as and when needed. We find this decision alarming,” Kortjan said.
In a statement, Samwu said it distanced itself from the memorandum from the office of acting city manager Nxolo Nqwazi and “we since wrote to that office demanding that the memo be retracted and an apology be made to this revolutionary trade union”.
He said it was unclear when the lockdown would be lifted and it was unfair to expect workers to wait for a date that was yet to be determined.
“What if the lockdown runs until September? Does that mean we will have to wait for all those months?
“Our concern is that many of our people live from hand to mouth, their salaries are not enough for their expenses and they rely on those allowances and the overtime to make ends meet, and we know that there will be further challenges with the system should there be a backlog of payments.”
Kortjan said he was concerned that workers would down tools and the union’s hands would be tied if it came to that.
“But where would that put us as a metro given that there is a pandemic?
“We would be seen as a reckless trade union that leads people to strike and that is not our mission. Ours is to have people paid their overtime to prevent a strike at such a difficult time,” Kortjan said.
He said communications with the municipality had deadlocked and the union was now considering approaching the CCMA so that it could provide the union with direction.
Questions relating to the dispute were sent on numerous occasions to both Nqwazi and municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki over three days.
No response has been received.
Bay Samwu members up in arms over non-payment of allowances, overtime
Image: WERNER HILLS
The SA Municipal Worker’s Union (Samwu) in the Nelson Mandela Bay municipality has threatened to approach the CCMA over the non-payment of allowances and overtime.
Samwu regional secretary Melikhaya Kortjan said the municipality had issued a memorandum that only basic salaries would be paid for April and that a process to pay all outstanding allowances would be undertaken after lockdown.
“That was not [the] agreement we had. We were under the impression after [a] meeting on March 24 that payroll and supply chain staff would be placed on special leave but would be called as and when needed. We find this decision alarming,” Kortjan said.
In a statement, Samwu said it distanced itself from the memorandum from the office of acting city manager Nxolo Nqwazi and “we since wrote to that office demanding that the memo be retracted and an apology be made to this revolutionary trade union”.
He said it was unclear when the lockdown would be lifted and it was unfair to expect workers to wait for a date that was yet to be determined.
“What if the lockdown runs until September? Does that mean we will have to wait for all those months?
“Our concern is that many of our people live from hand to mouth, their salaries are not enough for their expenses and they rely on those allowances and the overtime to make ends meet, and we know that there will be further challenges with the system should there be a backlog of payments.”
Kortjan said he was concerned that workers would down tools and the union’s hands would be tied if it came to that.
“But where would that put us as a metro given that there is a pandemic?
“We would be seen as a reckless trade union that leads people to strike and that is not our mission. Ours is to have people paid their overtime to prevent a strike at such a difficult time,” Kortjan said.
He said communications with the municipality had deadlocked and the union was now considering approaching the CCMA so that it could provide the union with direction.
Questions relating to the dispute were sent on numerous occasions to both Nqwazi and municipal spokesperson Mthubanzi Mniki over three days.
No response has been received.
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