Workers are not happy with their agreed deal, which involves the municipality being benchmarked with other, larger Level 4 municipalities in regards to posting descriptions and salaries.
They also received their first three months of back pay yesterday, which amounted to nothing for some, and as little as R150 for others.
What workers didn’t realise was many of them already receive much higher salaries than their peers at other municipalities. Steve Tshwete Local Municipality pays some of the highest salaries in the local government sphere.
Workers signed an agreement, binding themselves to the benchmarking, with Nkomazi Municipality chosen as a reference.
Dissatisfied workers gathered at the municipality yesterday, after receiving their disappointing back pay payments, to down tools again. They were, however, warned that a strict ‘no work, no pay’ policy will be implemented and that arrests will be made for unruly and destructive behaviour.
A decision was then taken for the unions to petition the court for permission to strike legally from February 9.
According to a report compiled on the benchmarking, the salaries of just over 1 000 employees have been effected. Just under 500, however, have been identified as earning way above the benchmarked norms.
While the municipality will not cut higher salaries, it could effect future raises and perks.
It’s unclear what the workers actually expect in rands and cents from the municipality and ratepayers.
The issue became so heated during Monday’s council sitting to affect the salary implementations that the MHRF staged a walkout.
Workers gathered outside the municipality, where public order police kept an eye on protests while the council was still in sitting.
Get your copy of this week’s Middelburg Observer for detailed reports on Monday’s council matters.
