The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has rejected a wage proposal put together by a facilitator to end the deadlock with the employer in the local government sector.
The proposal was presented to Samwu, the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) and the SA Local Government Association (Salga) after the parties failed to reach agreement during wage talks.
“We urge our members to participate in the process of balloting and to properly mandate the union on a way forward since talks between parties have not yielded any positive results,” said Dumisane Magagula, SAMWU’s deputy general secretary.
“We further urge our members to gear up and prepare themselves for the upcoming war with the employer in demand of decent salary increments.”
After receiving the proposal, Samwu last week accused the facilitator, Naledi Burwana-Bisiwe, of bias towards the employer.
The facilitator had proposed the parties agree a three-year salary and wage agreement.
She had also proposed a 4% salary increase in the first year of the agreement and projected CPI minus 1% increase in the outer years of the agreement.
She proposed a total freeze on all benefits to municipal workers in the first year of the agreement and said these will be fully unfrozen in the last year of the agreement.
Samwu, on the other hand, had demanded a one-year wage increase of R4,000 per month, a R3,500 housing agreement, an 80% employer medical aid contribution, six months’ paid maternity leave and one month paid paternity leave.
- Inside Politics
