The Soapbox | Where South Africans Speak Out

BY AKANYANG MEREMENTSI

About 130 000 members of the South Africa Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) were expected to embark on a nationwide strike today. This follows a ‘failed application’ by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) which sought to halt the industrial action by the union, Mail & Guardian Online has reported.

According to the report, several roads around the City of Johannesburg have been closed for the strike and that strikers have been asked to “ensure that the rights of non-striking workers are respected [and protected too, of course] during the strike”. And this is right because there is a tendency among strikers to threaten and injure non-striking workers, and even people in general.

For example, last year during strike at Impala non-strikers were threatened and promised to be ’shamboked’ as they were accused to viewing those who were striking as “[di]phokophoko, known as ghosts…”.

It remains to be seen if striking members will head to a call by the City Spokesperson Nthatise Modingoane that the union leadership must ensure that its members “refrain from any act of intimidation or lawlessness whilst exercising their right to strike”.

Workers reportedly demand a job evaluation system that will “grade all jobs in the local government sector” and also accuses SALGA of “firing workers, thereby undermining service delivery and wasting money on expensive lawyers to handle labour related cases.” And this is true in some cases, but not all of them. So, any concrete proof for this serious allegation(s)?

But SALGA, according to a Mail & Guardian Online report, was “surprised with the union’s demands as there were already agreements signed by itself and SAMWU”.

Were this to be believed – it then brings into question negotiation skills and process of the two parties, especially SAMWU. This is because on several occasions (without ignoring the facts, of course) and even during the Impala strikes, negotiators were and have always been accused of agreeing to a deal “without approval of the large union members” and this has resulted in prolonged salary negotiations and unnecessary delays. Employers are as much to blame too for these “unnecessary” delays.

According to BuaNews – a government news agency – market related wages, changes to be made for employees to be evaluated and the usage of the disciplinary code that municipalities use, are some of their demands.

One hopes and prays that the strike will not result in any injuries and or shambokking as this would somehow confirm the perception that striking members can be as “stupid” as they allege to be seen and viewed by the society and non-striking workers.

Akanyang Merementsi blogs at Akanyang Africa.