KwaDukuza municipal workers end strike, set to return to work
This was confirmed by SAMWU KwaDukuza secretary, Nkululeko Dladla, who said the decision followed engagement between the union and municipal leadership.
While not all grievances have been resolved, Dladla said the union welcomed the willingness of Municipal Manager Nhlanhla Mdakane to address workers directly and commit to further meetings.
'The municipal manager came to speak to us, and even though some of the responses were not satisfactory, we now have a channel to discuss unresolved issues. There is no reason to continue with the strike under these circumstances,' said Dladla.
Workers marched from the Ballito Taxi Rank to the Nokukhanya Building, opposite the Ballito clinic on Monday and Tuesday.
The demonstration follows growing frustration over what workers said was the municipality's failure to respond to demands first raised during a strike in KwaDukuza's CBD in May.
The protest caused severe traffic congestion, and Ballito Drive was left littered with debris as demonstrators hurled rubbish into the streets on both days.
Earlier today, Mdakane issued an internal memorandum to all staff, condemning the continued strike and what he described as violations of the agreed picketing rules.
According to the memo, the strike went beyond the legal parameters set by the Bargaining Council, and management has reserved the right to pursue disciplinary action where necessary.
In the memo, Mdakane responded to several concerns raised by the union. He said that the Local Labour Forum did meet on June 25 with full management attendance and that issues on the agenda, including job evaluation and the implementation of a six-day work week, were discussed.
He noted that job evaluation processes are progressing, with most job descriptions already submitted and some still being refined.
On the contentious issue of municipal grading, Mdakane dismissed claims that a resolution exists to upgrade the municipality to grade 5.
He said no such resolution has been adopted and emphasised that grading falls under the authority of the South African Local Government Bargaining Council.
He added that attempts to negotiate grading at the municipal level were irregular and that the issue was already on the national bargaining agenda.
Regarding the union's demand for accountability in the R35.7 million fraud scandal, Mdakane confirmed that investigations are ongoing and that most of the money has been recovered.
Civil and criminal proceedings are still underway to trace the remainder and three separate investigations are being conducted by the municipality, the police's Special Commercial Crimes Unit, and the MEC for Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs.
Responding to calls for his suspension, Mdakane said due process must be followed.
'Samwu should respect the laws and regulations they expect to be applied to all workers. No individual can be suspended without following legal procedures,' said Mdakane.
On the matter of the five and six-day work structure, Mdakane said that Samwu had not submitted a counterproposal despite the issue being on the agenda for the past two years.
He noted that while Samwu had indicated that the matter should be handled at the bargaining council level, they still included it among the reasons for the strike.
Mdakane reiterated the municipality's stance of 'no work, no pay' and said any employees who do not return to work risk disciplinary action.
'We are calling on Samwu leadership to guide their members honestly and responsibly.
'The municipality remains open to lawful and constructive engagement. We will continue to implement fair decisions following the law,' said Mdakane.
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