Municipal workers to strike

[DreamKing]

Municipal workers to strike
2011-08-05 15:42

Johannesburg - Almost 145 000 municipal workers will begin a countrywide strike on August 15, the SA Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) said on Friday.

"Our union's membership from around the country have indicated that they are ready and willing to embark on this rolling mass action," Samwu general secretary Mthandeki Nhlapo told reporters in Johannesburg.

He said the union rejected an offer of a 6% wage increase by the employer, the SA Local Government Association (Salga), and demanded increases of 18% or R2 000, whichever was greater.

"Contrary to what analysts have been saying, we believe that there is nothing wrong with demanding double digits. In fact, with such grave poverty witnessed in our country, workers ought to demand nothing less."

Essential services

He said the strike would extend to the essential services sector, and possibly the water sector.

The union had also rejected the offer of a 4.6% increase by the SA Association of Water Utilities (Saawu).

Nhlapo said Saawu indicated it was not in a position to respond to the union's demands on housing, overtime, tool allowance, six months maternity leave and phasing out of a total-cost-to-company remuneration structure in the industry.

"If workers in the water sector strike, there will be a water crisis. Almost 60 to 70% of workers in South Africa's water boards are Samwu members."

‘Sacrificial lambs’

He said Samwu would call off the strike if Salga and Saawu approached it with a new offer before August 15, but doubted this would happen.

"If Salga was honest, we could avoid the strike, but they show no intention of finding a resolution."

Nhlapo said the strike was also motivated by a large pay gap between municipal managers and their workers.

"We need to deal with the economy of this country. How can a manager walk away with millions at the end of the year when the workers only get a few thousand and end up feeling disempowered?

"South Africa should not be a place where workers are [treated] like sacrificial lambs."

The strike would affect 262 municipalities across the country.
- SAPA

http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Municipal-workers-to-strike-20110805-4

waiting for long time .... finally here.

yeaaaaaah

 

[JungleBoy]

The union had also rejected the offer of a 4.6% increase by the SA Association of Water Utilities (Saawu).

I'm not surprised at all with all the other sectors getting 8 - 10 %

 

[OMB]

wunderbar

 

[killadoob]

"We need to deal with the economy of this country. How can a manager walk away with millions at the end of the year when the workers only get a few thousand and end up feeling disempowered?

I must admit they do have a valid point.

 

[UnUnOctium]

"We need to deal with the economy of this country. How can a manager walk away with millions at the end of the year when the workers only get a few thousand and end up feeling disempowered?

I must admit they do have a valid point.

That they do. The problem is, the money then doesn't get taken from the ludicrous managerial pay & bonuses but the prices just get upped instead.

Screwed up world we live in.

 

[DJ...]

I must admit they do have a valid point.

No they simply don't. When they talk about managers, they're talking about highly qualified people in these sectors. They've been brainwashed to believe that everyone should share equally in the profits which is just ridiculous. Although I agree to a certain extent, all government workers are overpaid...

 

[BBSA]

Happy days!!!

Did they not do the same just the other day?

 

[Creature]

I would also strike if I was offered a 4.6% increase. So I say go for it!!! Everything in life goes up higher and higher, but your salary is the only thing not keeping up..

 

[HideInLight]

"Contrary to what analysts have been saying, we believe"

Skrew the facts...

 

[killadoob]

No they simply don't. When they talk about managers, they're talking about highly qualified people in these sectors. They've been brainwashed to believe that everyone should share equally in the profits which is just ridiculous. Although I agree to a certain extent, all government workers are overpaid...

While i fully understand management should get paid more i find it difficult to accept why the workers get paid minimum wage while the bosses get paid millions. I am not saying they should get paid as much as the bosses but when the boss/es are getting millions it does sting when they offer the worker a hike of 4.5% while the boss/es more than likely received 14-20% more every year. Does anyone know what the boss or bosses in question were given? That would be interesting .

 

[FrankCastle]

"We need to deal with the economy of this country. How can a manager walk away with millions at the end of the year when the workers only get a few thousand and end up feeling disempowered?

I must admit they do have a valid point.

So hike up the salaries of 145 000 people because of the manager.
Fire the manager.

 

[MickeyD]

"We need to deal with the economy of this country. How can a manager walk away with millions at the end of the year when the workers only get a few thousand and end up feeling disempowered?

I must admit they do have a valid point.

Not a valid point at all UNLESS they are referring to the deployed cadres who sit around and do nothing all day. There are many well qualified and very capable managers who deserve every cent they get.

 

[DJ...]

I'm not surprised at all with all the other sectors getting 8 - 10 %

Inflation is 5%. By striking absolutely every single year for double inflation (and often quadruple inflation) increases, they are royally fscking up the economy. A government is not a profit generating institution - this money has to come from somewhere - the average Joe on the street (including them to a lesser extent though.)

I know for a fact that this is the argument the unions are selling to their members - strike for higher wages because the white man earns too much. We will take it from him. It's just getting beyond a joke now...

 

[BBSA]

I would also strike if I was offered a 4.6% increase. So I say go for it!!! Everything in life goes up higher and higher, but your salary is the only thing not keeping up..

You do release you are the one who will have to pay for the 18% increase, right?

 

[DJ...]

I would also strike if I was offered a 4.6% increase. So I say go for it!!! Everything in life goes up higher and higher, but your salary is the only thing not keeping up..

Unless your role has changed, you only ever deserve an inflation-related increase, which is what they were offered. Actually they were offered 0.4% less than inflation, however the unions could certainly negotiate that up. There is no need to strike...

 

[kat06sa]

I say cut the managers wage by 18%

Are we going to see another strike where the demands are double digit figures. Strikers intimidate, hold average citizens hostage and then settle for a 0.5% increase on the original offer. Is 18% really realistic in a recovering* economy?

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

The streets have been clean all year, so I was beginning to wonder when this was going to happen.

 

[DJ...]

While i fully understand management should get paid more i find it difficult to accept why the workers get paid minimum wage while the bosses get paid millions. I am not saying they should get paid as much as the bosses but when the boss/es are getting millions it does sting when they offer the worker a hike of 4.5% while the boss/es more than likely received 14-20% more every year. Does anyone know what the boss or bosses in question were given? That would be interesting .

In a country where unemployment is rife, this notion that we need to compare low-end, unskilled workers' salaries with highly skilled directors and managers is absolutely batty. We have a minimum wage law for a reason - to protect the worker from exploitation. That in itself is enough, regardless of the fact that I disagree with minimum wage in itself. All of your arguments are based on assumption though.

Explain to me why anyone whose job description has not changed, who is unskilled and therefore not making a fundamental bottom line difference to the upside and who already receives above minimum wage in an unemployment-rife country deserves anything more than an inflation-related increase?

 

[DJ...]

I say cut the managers wage by 18%

I've heard this as an honest answer to how we resolve the pay crisis in SA, however it is a foolish one. The number of managers vs low-end workers does not correlate - cutting the pay of a select few will not cover the shortfall required for the increases being demanded...

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

I say cut the managers wage by 18%

Are we going to see another strike where the demands are double digit figures. Strikers intimidate, hold average citizens hostage and then settle for a 0.5% increase on the original offer. Is 18% really realistic in a recovering* economy?

If they're prepared to undergo further training and undertake additional roles and responsibilities, then they can negotiate for more than 10%. If not they should STFU and be happy with anything over inflation.