STAFF REPORTER|
THE South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) in the Free State province is up in arms following the failure of municipalities to pay municipal workers their salaries in full and on time.
The embattled municipalities have now resorted to using food vouchers as payment.
The four municipalities include Mafube, Masilonyana, Tokologo and Kopanong Local Municipalities.
According to SAMWU, workers at Kopanong Local Municipality have not received their salaries for three consecutive months while at Mafube and Masilonyana, workers have gone two months without receiving salaries.
At Tokologo Local Municipality workers are yet to receive their May 2022 salaries.
“We are enraged by the fact that instead of ensuring that workers’ salaries are paid in full and on time, some of these municipalities have resorted to offering workers food vouchers as payment which would be deducted from their salaries the day that these municipalities decide to pay workers their salaries,” SAMWU secretariat said in a statement.
“Our anger and agitation at the offer of food vouchers is derived from the fact that workers do not only need their salaries to buy food.”
SAMWU said it was vehemently opposed to the offer of food vouchers as remuneration for municipal workers as a solution to the non-payment of salaries.
The union said workers’ contracts of employment clearly stipulate that they will be paid a certain amount on a particular day and as such, workers make financial commitments based on their expected salaries.
“These vouchers cannot be used to pay loans and bond payments, many workers are on the verge of having their vehicles repossessed while others are facing the prospects of evictions from their homes,” SAMWU said.
“These vouchers will not pay for children’s school fees, pay workers’ transportation costs to and from work nor buy winter clothing for the dependents of these workers.”
SAMWU said it was seeking an urgent meeting with the MECs of COGTA and Treasury in the Free State province to ensure that these municipalities are assisted and are able to keep up with their contractual obligations to their employees.
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