THE eThekwini Municipality is urging the police to adopt a no-nonsense approach to its Durban Solid Waste (DSW) workers abusing the right to strike, engaging in unlawful behaviour and violating the rights of law-abiding workers.
This follows a disruption of services around Durban caused by protesting municipal workers overturning refuse bins, leaving DSW vehicles on the roads and damaging water meters. The protest of DSW workers in various areas began on Tuesday morning (February 27).
Also read: DSW strike disrupts service delivery
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) revealed that workers under eThekwini Municipality are paid less than their colleagues in other metros.
Meanwhile, the municipality has successfully obtained a court interdict against striking workers, affirming its commitment to the safety and security of law-abiding residents.
According to the municipality’s statement, the court’s decision comes amidst an unauthorised and unlawful labour unrest that erupted on February 27 [and continues presently] which has impacted some operations of the municipality and service delivery.
“The municipality is extremely concerned about the violence accompanied by intimidation and damage to property in the name of striking workers. The interdict against striking employees, as well as those who are members of Samwu, prohibits any unlawful conduct, acts of violence and interference with the City’s activities, services and operations. It further restrains the striking employees from intimidating, harassing, assaulting, threatening or perpetrating acts of violence against employees, service providers or those accessing offices or workstations,” the City says.
It alludes that employees are also interdicted from taking part in or instigating any unlawful, disruptive or riotous behaviour that may result in damage to municipal property, the infringement of rights of others, damage to any service-delivery vehicles or hindering, obstructing or blocking municipal vehicles.
The City added, “The municipality emphasises the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring the safety and security of residents and its workforce. To date, no formal memorandum of demands has been submitted to the City by the union, but [they] have raised issues around re-categorisation of the municipality from grade 8 to 10 so that salaries of employees can be on par with those of other metros in the country.”
Meanwhile, upon agreement with Eskom, the municipality has suspended load-shedding for the duration of the strike.
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