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The Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa (MATUSA) is fighting a long battle on behalf of its members for full recognition by employers.

On 1 September 2015 Acting Labour Court Judge Steenkamp ruled that he was “satisfied that MATUSA is a genuine trade union” and ordered the Registrar of Trade Unions “to register MATUSA as a trade union in terms of section 96 of the Labour Relations Act and to issue a certificate of registration in its name within 14 days of this order”.

Yet more than two year laters, MATUSA is still battling to stop employers affiliated to the SA Local Government Association (SALGA), from making ‘double deductions’ from workers’ salaries.

In addition to the members’ subscriptions to MATUSA, they are deducting an ‘agency fee’, in terms of an agency fee agreement between the SA Local Government Association Bargaining Council (SALGBC) and the unions SAMWU and IMATU, which is deductible from non-members of a union. This must not therefore apply to members of a registered union.

This clearly puts MATUSA and its members at a disadvantage, and benefits other unions whose members pay less for their membership. This amounts to collusion between the employer and and sweetheart unions to deny MATUSA and its members their constitutional right to be members of the union of their choice.

The union intends to call on the Minister of Labour for full disclosure of the accounts of both IMATU and SAMWU to see how they spend their Agency Shop fee contributions.

MATUSA is fighting its case in SALGBC and the CCMA, both of which try to pass the buck to the other, and at the most recent hearing at the SALGBC, on 11 December 2017, SALGA, SAMWU and IMATU were all represented by the same senior counsel - a clear indication that they are scared and have to bring in the heavy guns.

MATUSA will not rest until this matter reaches the Constitutional Court, should it be necessary to challenge the constitutionality of the principle of Freedom of Association.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions is fully behind MATUSA’s battle. It demands that all employers stop penalizing workers who join recognised and registered unions.

SAFTU further condemns SAMWU and IMATU for their complicity with their employers in a vain effort to try to cling on to their members who want to join a genuine, independent and militant union like MATUSA.

Issued by MATUSA