According to a statement issued by the employees, “Workers remain cool headed at all times”, despite three shots allegedly fired at workers by plain-clothed security guards from the municipal buildings on Monday.
Employees claim an assault rifle was used.
They did not, however, see the shooter and no one was injured according to the ill-disciplined strikers.
Employees now blame the mayor, speaker and chief whip in council, for the ongoing labour dispute.
“Workers would like to inform the public that the responsibility of all this are bestowed politically as workers has to battle alone in everything in the absence of political leadership (sic),” – whatever that may mean?
Workers are moaning that the contract extension of Acting Municipal Manager Ms Thokozile Zulu has been done illegally.
They demand that the plain-clothed security personnel deployed at the municipality leave.
Workers demand a “no-work, no-pay” policy be implemented across the board, including politicians.
According to workers, they are “disturbed” by decisions taken by political leadership, “but remain loyal, dedicated and truthful”.
They want to know whether the new security detail is registered and competent in the use of firearms.
They also want to know who is paying for the new security and whether a firearm registry is available on site.
The striking workers demand to know “why number plates of vehicles entering the municipality under siege by them, have been removed”.
Demands include the scrapping of all criminal charges against employees arrested during previous labour unrest, and they further demand that strikers leader Kgosi Makwati’s suspension be reversed.
They blame “not us”, but corruption and “a mayor sitting in a car fitted with a blue light”.
• What they do not, however, concede to, is why are they gathering at the civic centre in the first place?
• Why they are barring the public from accessing services?
• Why they are damaging cars, of not only employees willing to work, but contractors brought in to do their jobs?
All of their previous demands have been met.
Former Municipal Manager, Advocate Bheki Khenisa, resigned.
The municipality was benchmarked and salaries adjusted.
They have taken food from the tables of managers who had to forfeit their back pay to sate the ungrateful majority among them.
They’ve had refuse removal services scrapped for Mhluzi and Nasaret.
They cannot see the conflict of interest with Kgosi Makwati stoking the fires of unrest while serving on the EXCO of the Middelburg and Hendrina Residents Front, who is, in fact, politicising the matter.
They are dishonest.
They are disloyal.
They don’t care about the community.
They don’t want to work.
But they want pay.
Municipal employees are illegally striking for the umpteenth time.
They have no regard for the law.
They are trespassing on municipal property.
They are destroying Middelburg.
