The City of Tshwane. Picture: iStock
The South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) says it will challenge the City of Tshwane in the Labour Court for failing to honour salary agreements.
According to the union, the city had entered into a three-year salary and wage agreement, promising municipal workers a 3.5% increase for the 2021/22 financial year, a 4.9% increase for 2022/23, and a 5.4% increase for 2023/24.
However, the city backed down on two agreements citing financial problems.
SAMWU General Secretary, Dumisane Magagula said the city had failed in its attempt to pay workers the agreed increases.
He said the city had applied for an exemption from the South African Municipal Bargaining Council (SALGBC) twice but failed to get the exemption.
“This blatant disregard for the agreement has resulted in denying our hardworking members their rightful salary increases twice within a three-year period,” he said.
The mayor’s Chief of Staff Jordan Griffiths told The Citizen the City had no money for the two terms in which they had not hiked the salaries of employees.
Griffiths said the municipality was hoping that the Labour Court would rule in their favour.
“The reason for the two exemptions is that the City cannot afford to pay those increases,” he said.
Griffiths said the Municipality had budgeted for the current round of wage negotiations which are still ongoing.
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The Labour Court has issued a notice scheduling the hearing for 28 November 2024.
Magagula said the union had used several measures to force the municipality to honour the wage agreements.
“In the period preceding this, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) intervened through Section 150 of the Labour Relations Act to mediate an agreement on the payment modalities. However, despite some progress, no agreement has been reached,” Magagula said.
He said the court would deal with only one of the agreements that were not outstanding.
“While this case specifically addresses the 5.4% increase, SAMWU remains fully devoted to securing the 3.5% increase owed to our members from the 2021/22 financial year,” he said.
On the other hand, the City of Tshwane has maintained that there was no money to honour these wage agreements.
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The city said service delivery would be affected should the city give workers what they want.
The City of Tshwane has been facing governance problems over the last few months with an anticipation of a change of government and the mayor.
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