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The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has made every effort to engage the arrogant and stubborn management of Pikitup however we are disappointed to report that there have been no positive outcomes as there was no logical conclusion in the interest of municipal workers.

Rubbish is piling up in Johannesburg posing potential health risk for residents especially children in informal settlements and townships. Despite this, Pikitup does not think that the situation has reached crisis point, they bluntly refuse to have meaningful engagements with us aimed at resolving the impulse. All they know is to deploy military style private security companies by Pikitup to intimidate workers. Workers’ grievances are genuine and will not be overshadowed by the arrogance of the employer.

We are very worried about the excessive force which we have seen been applied by the police on unarmed workers, workers who pose no threat to anyone. Surely the police have not learnt from the mistakes they made in Marikana. We shall not be deterred by such acts of police brutality, in fact the police cannot take away workers’ constitutional right to embark on a strike action.

We want the issue of the use of casual workers at the waste management entity to be abolished. This in line with the recently amended Labour Relations Act which clearly states that any employee employed for a period of three months should automatically be employed on permanent basis. Pikitup however continues with this practice because they do not want to pay workers decent wages including benefits such as medical aid, pension and housing. They have even gone to an extent of implementing Jozi at Work programme which is also aimed at displacing workers. Our view is that all municipal services should be rendered by municipal workers who are directly employed by municipalities on a permanent basis.

Our members are ready to return to work but will only do so once all our grievances have been addressed by management. Workers are also adamant that a thief who also happens to be the Managing Director of Pikitup Amanda Nair should be removed. In her two year tenure at the entity she has not done anything in the interest of municipal workers, all she knows is stealing equipment belonging to the City and victimising workers.

We will therefore be intensifying our strike action at Pikitup and will be including all workers from the City of Johannesburg, Ekhuruleni and Tshwane who will be going on strike in solidarity with Pikitup workers. Unless some sort of divine intervention is achieved, we will bring Gauteng province to a standstill.

Issued by The South African Municipal Workers’ Union Head Office