SAMWU to Seek Further Mandate Following Conclusion of 4th Round of Negotiations

18 April 2018

SAMWU to Seek Further Mandate Following Conclusion of 4th Round of Negotiations

The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) will be seeking a further mandate from workers following the fourth and final round of negotiations with the employer representative – The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) which represents the country’s municipalities at the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC).

Salary and wage negotiations began in December 2017 wherein organized labour presented joint demands of;

1. A single year agreement
2. 15% salary increase or R3150, whichever is greater.
3. R10 000 minimum wage
4. Across the board R2000 housing allowance
5. All benefits linked to conditions of service to increase by the percentile increment agreed to.

During this round of negotiations, all parties presented their mandated positions which led to the drafting and presentation of the facilitator’s report as follows;

1. 3 year agreement
2. 7% across the board salary increase in the first year of the agreement and an additional 0,5% increase for employees earning a basic salary of R9000 or less, effective 1 January 2019.
3. Projected CPI plus 1.5% in the second year of the agreement and a further CPI plus 1.25 % in the third year of the agreement.
4. Housing allowance to increase by 7% to R851.72 while an additional non-pensionable R350 will be advanced to employees earning less than R9000.
5. Minimum wage to increase by 7% to R7324.24 effective 1 July 2018 and a further 0,5% effective 1 January 2019 bringing the total to R7360.86. This to further increase by the same percentile increment as salary increase for the duration of the agreement.
6. Medical aid cap to increase by 7% at a total of R4218.17 and shall escalate as the same rate of salary increase for the duration of the agreement.

Following the presentation of the facilitator’s proposal, we will be consulting our members in the form of general meetings which will culminate into Special Provincial Executive Committees (PECs) and a Special Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting which would consolidate the position of the union. The CEC is the structure which would mandate the union to either accept the offer or to lodge a dispute and sanction as strike action in line with the union constitution as the agreed number of negotiation rounds he now been exhausted.

Parties are expected to inform the SALGBC of their decision to either accept or reject the facilitator’s proposal which will be followed by a Bargaining Committee meeting on the 17th and 18th May 2018.

Issued by SAMWU Secretariat

Simon Mathe,
General Secretary
(079 887 8389)

Or

Moses Miya
Deputy General Secretary
(082 899 2169)

Or

Papikie Mohale
National Media Officer
(073 710 0356)