The ongoing municipal workers’ strike in Mangaung must be declared illegal and all workers who are participating in it must have their salaries withheld. This is according to the Freedom Front Plus councillor in the Metro Municipality, Dr. Elizabeth Snyman-Van Deventer, who says criminal elements have now crept into the strike and as a result, electricity wires in areas such as Botshabelo, Dan Pienaar and Heuwelsig have been deliberately pinched.
“We’ve also received reports that the members who aren’t striking and reporting for work duty are intimidating those who are reporting for duty, threatening them with violence,” Snyman-Van Deventer added.
She said the FF Plus condemns these criminals and those workers who commit themselves to crimes during the strike. She also said it is unacceptable that the union does not maintain order during the strike.
Provincial Secretary of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), Thabang Tseoua, has slammed these allegations saying that the union members have been very well behaved and no incidents of violence or intimidation from Samwu workers have been reported.
“I reject the claims being made by the FF Plus because our members have not been preventing or even intimidating those workers who prefer to report for work duty to do so. There are police officials and safety marshals at the Bram Fischer Building who are placed there to ensure that workers are safe and that no incidences of violence occur,” Tseoua said.
“It cannot be that the FF Plus thumb sucks such allegations and then blames it on our members. If the FF Plus has proof that we are involved in such activities, let it report the incidents to the municipality and the police so that those workers can be disciplined,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Labour Court will decide on Friday whether the ongoing strike should be considered a legal one or not.
Tseoua expressed the union’s disappointment with the employer’s adversarial stance on the matter, however, he said he is confident that Samwu will be vindicated as it was once before when it was provided with a certificate that enabled it to go ahead with the strike.
Pulane Choane- pulane@centralmediagroup.co.za
