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The municipality has on Monday 3 November 2014 received a Notice to Strike from SAMWU. SAMWU has in its notice identified two grounds for the strike. One being the alleged dismissal of the Community Development Workers [CDW’s] and the other is the withdrawal of municipal transport for workers between their respective homes and place of work.

The municipality went in 2013 through a restructuring process with the aim to make its organizational structure lighter through the elimination of non-key posts. The post of the 14 CDW’s were taken off the organogram. The municipal council went further and through a placement process offered the affected officials alternative positions. The positions offered to the affected officials were refused by them. These officials exited from the municipality in October 2014. SAMWU has now listed the position of the CDW’s as one of the reasons for the strike.

The municipality has since 1997 provided transport for certain municipal workers at no cost to them. The cost of transporting workers on this basis till now was carried by the ratepayers. Council has apart from a cost perspective also considered the safety/insurance issue. The municipal council on 16 October 2014 decided to withdraw the transport it provided to municipal workers with effect from 1 December 2014.

SAMWU has in its notice indicated that it will strike indefinitely from 10 November 2014. At this stage we are preparing ourselves for the strike. The No Work No Pay principle will be applied. The municipal services will be affected if the strike proceeds as contained in the notice. However, the municipality is putting contingency measures in place to minimize the impact of the strike. We are therefore calling on the public to work with us and be patient during this period as it is inevitable that municipal services will be affected.

Issued by Kholiswa Masiza on behalf of
Bitou Municipality