Threat To Essential Municipal Services As SAMWU Threatens Protest Action

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SANDILE MOTHA

Essential municipal services such as clinics, provision of electricity, refuse collection, water and sanitation could come to a stand still if the SA Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) and its membership agree to withdraw their services as the country braces for level 3 next week.

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If SAMWU has its way, the level 3 lockdown regulations ease off might coincide with many essential services in the 278 municipalities in the country being brought to a halt.

The union representing the majority of workers in the local government sector said it had resolved to implement the  crippling measure  as a form of protest for failure by municipalities to provide workers with personal protective equipment (PPE).

Speaking to Inside Metro, union secretary Koena Ramotlou said a report from the nine provinces painted a gloomy picture about the glaring failures of municipalities to protect workers from contracting COVID-19. 

“As more offices will be opening next month, there are still some municipalities who are unable to provide workers with PPEs. There was a circular issued by the South African Local Government Bargaining Council instructing municipalities to ensure compliance with safety and regulations. Municipalities have not heeded this call,” said Ramotlou this week.

He said the union will next week meet with representation from the South Africa Local Government Association (SALGA) in an effort to iron out all pending issues pertaining to compliance by municipalities.

“If we find no joy, we have no other option than to call out all our workers. With many workers coming back to work after the announcement of level 3 lockdown, we fear that people will infect their families and the curve will go up,” added Ramotlou.

Municipal workers have continued to carry the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic since President Ramaphosa’s announcement of the nationwide lockdown in March. Recently, about 300 refuse collection workers contracted to the Durban solid waste downed tools following one of the workers testing positive for COVID-19. The workers servicing the eThekwini municipality’s Collingwood depot  abandoned work demanding that they too be tested for Corona virus. About 48 workers from the cohort have since tested positive.

Ramotlou said the ministry of Cooperative Governance and  Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) was ill equipped to deal with problems facing municipalities.

“We are not happy with the posture and attitude of the minister. Every time we want to meet her, she refers us to some junior officials in her department. The minister is failing in her duty as a lead department in this regard. We also refuse to allow a situation where workers are intentionally sent to slaughter houses,” he said.

The category of workers at the core of the virus are those in low income brackets and those employed under the government’s expanded public works (PWP) responsible for collecting and disposing refuse.

Besides eThekwini, Buffalo City, City of Cape Town and  Johannesburg have recorded a soaring in number of municipal workers testing positive for Corona.

Earlier this month, while answering questions during the virtual sitting of the Portfolio Committee on COGTA, deputy minister Obed Bapela conceded that insufficient provision of protective gear was a sore point among workers.

“Workers have now raised serious questions about personal protective equipment, saying they are exposed to COVID-19 daily being out on the streets. To this end, we are in talks about providing sufficient equipment to all municipalities,” said Bapela in his response to parliamentarians.

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