VANDERBIJLPARK – As if this was not enough, electricity workers at Emfuleni Local Municipality (ELM) refused to resolve the problem due to a labour dispute over employee overtime and standby remuneration.
This has left the MMC of Basic Services Vincent Jones reeling in shock and disbelief.
The MMC has since issued a statement, penning down his shock and heartache.
In his statement, Jones apologized to affected residents, claiming he was disappointed by public servants for their ‘unpatriotic behaviour’.
Jones said he was made aware that the municipality was unable to finalize the fault finding nor switch on electricity due to a labour dispute with employees on overtime and standby.
According to the MMC, following a briefing, his suggestion to use external contractors to help swiftly resolve the matter was turned down, as he was advised otherwise.
“Together with the Municipal Manager, we agreed technicians will attend to the town substation problem first thing in the morning, Monday the 19th February 2023. This will be followed by a meeting with employees to resolve the labour dispute”.
“Today’s actions by these employees leave a bad taste in my mouth and it is no different to acts of sabotage. The inconvenience our residents suffered is regretted and must never happen again”. – said Jones.
