SAMWU concerned by uMgungundlovu District Municipality’s fruitless and wasteful expenditure aimed at victimising workers.
11 November 2021
SAMWU concerned by uMgungundlovu District Municipality’s fruitless and wasteful expenditure aimed at victimising workers.
The South African Municipal Workers Union in Mafika Mshengu Region is disgusted by serial fruitless and expenditure administered by uMgungundlovu District Municipality wherein it had to pay exorbitant amounts of money to private legal firms just to preside and prosecute over an internal disciplinary matter and against the dictates of the Collective Bargaining agreements reached at the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) level.
It is alarmingly strange for a district municipality which is reported to be struggling in terms of financial resources to pay R1150.00 per hour to a private legal firm for a disciplinary matter that can be swiftly resolved internally at no cost. Had the municipality elected to augment its representative, it should have sourced such from SALGA as per the collective agreements at almost no cost.
Worst of all the said legal firm has just claimed R9830.80 for sitting in a hearing which was postponed in less than fifteen minutes. This is contrary to even the agreement that the municipality signed with the appointed legal firm.
It is the same municipality that had discontinued the payment of the tools of trade like the car allowance affecting those workers who need the vehicles for service delivery. During the prevalence of Covid 19 the municipality failed to comply with the key elements of Covid 19 including the purchasing of PPE’s.
The fact that 23 workers alleged to have committed the same offence (innocently picketing) are appearing individually, validates the allegation that there is a crusade of conniving between the legal firm and some elements in the management echelons of the municipality in order to unnecessarily prolong this matter so as to ensure that public funds are continuously milked in order for the few to enrich themselves.
As SAMWU in this region we will continue representing our members even if they are charged with spurious allegations. In the same vein, we will expose any wrongdoing done under the disguise of ‘disciplining’ our members by rouge elements of management who are hell-bent to undermine collective bargaining and workplace democracy.
Issued by Mafika Mshengu Region
Linda Gcabashe
Regional Secretary
082 070 4893
Or
Nkululeko Maphanga
Regional Chairperson
082 451 3372