The spokesperson for SAMWU, Tahir Sema says they have learnt that SALGA has filed leave to appeal the wage curve victory the trade union secured. “We have learnt with dismay that SALGA has filed leave to appeal the wage curve victory to increase workers salary scales.
The judgement which SALGA wants to appeal was handed down by the Labour Court in Johannesburg. It brought to the fore the blatant dishonesty displayed by SALGA officials when dealing with municipal workers,” explained Sema.
The union said this kind of behavior by the employer body, SALGA is a waste of rate payer’s money, as the legal process could cost millions of Rands. “This is also tantamount to Union bashing and a complete disregard for the many men and women who serve in the Local Government sphere.
It is clear that the employer body knows very well that it would not win this issue in court but seeks instead to delay the process unnecessarily, which could easily lead to instability in the sector. It is also not unlikely that the current instability could quickly turn into a second Marikana tragedy,” adds Sema
In addition Samwu is calling on the ruling ANC to intervene in the dispute and ensure that SALGA, which is controlled by the ANC is ‘reigned in’ and abides by the labour court judgement awarded in the workers favour. “The wage curve judgment referred to above will pave the way for a proper wage structure to exist in the municipal sector, where jobs and associated salaries are properly graded.
This will ensure that many workers who for years have been underpaid will now receive the correct payment. The effect of the agreement is that payment will be backdated to September 2009,” said Sema.
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