MOGALAKWENA STRIKE: no end in sight
The Mogalakwena Municipality is entering their second week of standstill as the municipal employees once again downed their tools only weeks after their recent four-week protest.
MOKOPANE – The municipal employees are demanding that the benchmarking of salaries according to municipalities with the same grading scale be implemented.
Last Friday the municipal workers were locked out of the premises and served with an interdict stating that they are not allowed to come within 500 m of the municipal grounds if they are not going to work.
Jabu Mashamaite, Chairperson of the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU), said: “Leaders of the unions have been served with a letter from the municipality stating their intention of suspension. I find this as a barbaric attack on us. This situation needs to be addressed and resolved otherwise our municipality is going to collapse.”
In the meantime the picture of the once beautiful town is one of rubbish and what makes this standstill even more unfortunate is the fact that the employees who do want to work are being threatened. It is alleged that three municipal employees were threatened with stones and sticks on Tuesday morning when they wanted to go to work.
Marcelle Maritz, Head Organiser of the Freedom Front Plus in Limpopo, said: “This is totally unacceptable, these employees want to deliver a much needed service but they are being victimised and threatened that their houses will be burnt.” A representative of the municipal worker force, Percy Nketsi, said they will only go back to work “once they are liberated from this economical slavery thus benchmarking needs to be implemented”.
Residents are complaining that nothing is being done to resolve the situation and that promises were previously made that this will not happen again.
Mayor Parks Sebatjane could not be reached for comment.
redaksie.bosvelder@nmgroup.co.za
