“IT has come to the attention of management of Umgeni Water that a message has been distributed on some social media platforms, including Whatsapp, claiming that Umgeni Water staff will intensify their strike for a salary increase,” said Umgeni Water Corporate Stakeholder Manager, Shami Harichunder.
“This is grossly incorrect: Umgeni Water staff are not on strike and have no intention of going on strike.”
The factual situation is that some staff of eThekwini Water and Sanitation are involved in a dispute with their management that has resulted in a strike.
Umgeni Water and eThekwini Metro/eThekwini Water and Sanitation are separate entities.
Umgeni Water is a water board and, as is known, eThekwini Metro is a municipality. Workers of municipalities generally belong to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union.
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Unionised staff of Umgeni Water belong to the National Health and Allied Workers’ Union (Nehawu). These are different unions that serve different constituencies.
All staff of Umgeni Water are working as per their normal daily schedules and are carrying out their duties in line with deliverables. Divisions and business units within Umgeni Water are also functioning normally. Similarly, bulk potable water supply from Umgeni Water to its seven municipal customers, including eThekwini Metro, is continuing normally and in conformance with contracts it has with its customers.
The Chairperson of Cosatu Pinetown Local, Ronnie Phakathi (Nehawu is an affiliate of Cosatu), has also dismissed as untrue claims about a strike involving Nehawu members at Umgeni Water.
Umgeni Water wishes to reiterate that its work has not been affected and that no strike or any other form of industrial action has occurred or is occurring within the organisation. An appeal is made to recipients of the social media/Whatsapp message to ignore the false claims made in it.
It is emphasised, at the same time, that potable water supply from Umgeni Water has not been affected; there is adequate drinking water available for daily consumption by households and other consumers.
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