‘My son is starving’: Samwu worker pleads with City of Joburg for relief

The City of Johannesburg employees affiliated with the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) say they are struggling to make ends meet and often have to bring resources from home to do their jobs properly.

On Thursday, at least 10 000 City of Johannesburg employees affiliated with the union brought the M1 and M2 highways in Braamfontein and Johannesburg CBD to a complete standstill.

The workers are aggrieved over wage disputes, demanding back payments amounting to R10.3 million, dating back to 2016.

Wage discrepancy

Sese Jobe told The Citizen she has worked as a nurse for the City for 22 years but was not being paid fairly when compared to her colleagues in other metros.

“We were supposed to get an increase in July, we are still waiting. Some of the employees in Pretoria and Ekurhuleni earn more than us in Joburg.”

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Struggles

Jobe said she joined the Samwu march because the cost of living has soared.

“Electricity prices go up, food prices go up. In the townships, there is no water. I want a better salary. The price of electricity must not be so high and water must be provided. It is essential. We will get our demands.”

She lamented the failure of service delivery where she works.

“I’m still struggling. They want us to provide services. Right now in my clinic, there’s no water. Also, there’s a problem with electricity,” she said, adding that the lack of power affects medication and vaccinations that need refrigeration.

“We’ve been trying to improvise. Sometimes I come with a five-litre of water to work. I am a human being, I eat, I drink and I need to go to the toilet. Which toilet?

“They refuse to close the clinic because we ‘are essential service workers’. That’s the only thing they know, essential services instead of thinking of workers,” Jobe said.

She said she also has a 25-year-old son at home who is unemployed.

“I’ve got one there [at home] starving. There’s no work. He’s got a matric, but he’s at home.”

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