MAKHADO – The disagreement between the South African Municipal Workers Union and the South African Local Government Association in terms of salary increment and the withdrawal of the Organisational Rights Agreement led to the local trade union members of the Makhado Municipality’s embarking on a one-hour picketing last Friday.

The peaceful picketing took place outside the western entrance of the civic centre. The trade union members, who were lining along the pavement on the corner of Erasmus and Krogh street, were carrying placards with slogans like “Samwu demands a living wage, no to privatisation, Salga must respect workers rights”.

Samwu local branch chairperson, Mr Azwinndini Sydney Rabakali, told Mirror that a strike was looming at the country’s municipalilties, following “Salga’s failure to meet our demands for 2005-2006 salary increment.” He said that his trade union, representing 230 000 workers countrywide, is currently demanding a minimum wage of R3 500 per month plus an increase of R500 or 15%, which is greater for those above the minimum. Rabakali said that Salga’s offer of 4,28% is a slap in the face of workers within the local government. “They want no real increase to be granted to the municipal workers for the following 3 years nor do they want to raise the minimum wage set up 3 years ago. The wage of R2 100 in the past three years has declined by 22% as the result of inflation,” he said.

Rabakali further blamed Salga for wanting to create a two-tier wage structure, where new employees would earn significantly less than other workers. “We are rejecting this attempt by Salga to create a pool of cheap labour. With the inflation rate above 5%, this proposed cut in workers’ wages will have disastrous consequences, such as increased poverty, lower productivity, and instability during a period where improvements in service delivery to the masses of this country are essential,” he said.

The local trade union branch’s chairperson said that Samwu is angry about a unilateral decision taken by Salga to withdraw the Organisational Rights Agreement (ORA). When asked about the danger of the withdrawal of ORA, Rabakali said, “The Local Labour Forum, Employment Equity, Restructuring and the Placement Committees will no longer be there. Managers will decide our fate; they will have the power to employ and dismiss without their trade unions. This gives managers more chance to be corrupt.” Rabakali said that, without the Employment Equity Committee, nepotism would be rife in the municipal sector, with unionists being victimised.

He said that basic service delivery would be privatised and tenders would be given to friends and relatives of the municipal managers and councillors to enrich themselves at the expense of the ordinary loyal citizen of this country. “Only those that are closer to the management and councillors are going to be placed and those who are loyal to the government are going to be victimised, thus promoting unfair labour practice because the Placement Committee would be no longer existing,” he concluded.

IMATU members were enhancing service delivery while their counterparts trade union members were picketing.