DSW workers down tools: Strike action halts rubbish collection in Durban
The city spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela, said he hopes a planned meeting with the unions, this afternoon, will shed light on the demands of the workers.
DURBAN Solid Waste (DSW) workers have reportedly stopped working and are on strike. The threatened strike action, which delayed rubbish collection on Monday, disrupted the service delivery.
“Please note today (17 November) the DSW workers have not yet started working as they are in a meeting with their unions and are threatening a strike,” said Cllr Chris van den Berg in a message that was posted earlier. Residents were told that on Monday the collections did start, albeit later than usual, and the action being taken by workers was described as “effectively on a go slow.”
Escalated
However, by just after 10am a meeting between unions and the city was over without any resolution having been reached according to Ward 65 Councillor, Samantha Windvogel. Windvogel said while the demands were unknown, the matter had escalated from a “go slow” to a full strike.
“The DSW workers are now heading to the head office,” said Windvogel.
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Last year, in May, DSW employees protested outside the Durban City Hall and dumped rubbish on the streets in the city centre.
No collection
Shortly before 10.30am, the city’s spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela issued the following statement via social media which was in turn shared by ward councillors.
“The city would like to inform residents to keep their refuse in their yards until further notice. This is as a result of an illegal strike by DSW workers. The city’s leadership is prioritising this matter and it is pulling all the stops to ensure that the situation returns to normalcy with speed,” said Mayisela. “Ethekwini sincerely apologises to residents for the inconvenience this is going to cause to the public.”
Mayisela also shared a voice note for distribution among community WhatsApp groups.
Asked if there was any chance there might be a repeat of what took place in May 2019 when rubbish trucks dumped refuse on the streets surrounding the City Hall, he said police were monitoring the situation.
“There is a meeting scheduled for 2pm and until then we can’t say what the demands of the workers are,” said Mayisela from his office. “We hope it will all become more clear once we have had that meeting.”
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