By Levy Masiteng
Now that wage negotiations are over for municipalities, employees must shift their focus to improving service delivery, according to the chairperson of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration.
While hailing the five-year wage deal that was reached with the South African Local Government Association last week, Mxolisi Kaunda said on Tuesday that he hoped that the agreement would lead to stability.
“Now that the wage agreement issue has been put to bed, it is essential that workers contribute to the stabilisation of the local sphere of government to ensure that municipalities are functional and deliver quality services. It is imperative that municipalities work for the benefit of the residents as mandated by the Constitution,”he emphasised.
Workers played a vital role in helping municipalities function properly and provide high-quality services to the communities, Kaunda said Kaunda said the dire state of many municipalities required passionate and dedicated personnel, who were committed to providing quality services to residents.
The signing of a long-term agreement should ensure the stability needed to improve municipal efficiency and effectiveness.
Kaunda said that the poor quality of services was a significant contributor to the low revenue collection from municipal levies and taxes, as residents were less likely to pay for services that did not meet their expectations.
It is the first time in South Africa’s public service history that a five-year collective wage agreement has been reached.
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