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Strike by municipal employees not off the table in final round of wage talks this week

Details

boardroomtableBL Premium reports that while a debilitating strike is not off the table, the country’s two largest municipal trade unions are hopeful parties will reach an agreement during the third and final round of wage talks at the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC).

The last round of talks between the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu), and the SA Local Government Association (Salga) – the employer body representing the country’s municipalities – was scheduled to run from Monday to Friday this week. Samwu general secretary Dumisane Magagula commented on Monday: “We are still at 9%. If we don’t find each other, then the first step would be to consider the facilitator’s proposal. If we don’t accept (the facilitator’s proposal), we will go back to our members for a mandate. They could say declare a dispute and the next step would be a strike.” Imatu president Keith Swanepoel said: “We are still where we are [at 9%]. We have just resumed negotiations this [Monday] morning. Nothing has happened. We would like a facilitator’s proposal by end of business on Friday, which we will take to our members for consideration. We are always hopeful that parties will find each other.” Salga revised its offer from 3.5% to 3.75% during the second round of wage talks in July, but the unions said it was so poor it could not be taken to members for consideration. According to the proposed offer, which the unions rejected “in its totality”, employees earning R22,000 a month or below would receive a once-off ex gratia payment of R3,000.

  • Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)


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