Johannesburg+hardest+hit+by+national+strike,+B+Day

Business Day, Johannesburg, 13 July 2005
=Johannesburg hardest hit by national strike=


 * Chantelle Benjamin and Anza Dali**

JOHANNESBURG appears to have been hit hardest by yesterday’s municipal strike, with some of the city’s departments reporting less than half their normal staffing levels, as thousands of workers nationwide heeded trade union calls to stay away in protest against offered pay rises.

Major centres in the rest of the country appear to have been less affected by the strike, which saw 22000 of the 200000 members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Workers Union (Imatu) joining the protests — to highlight their demand for a 9% pay increase and a minimum wage of R3000. Municipal workers took to the streets, or stayed at home, to protest against the South African Local Government Association’s (Salga’s) 6% wage increase offer; municipal bosses’ high wages; privatisation of services; and the fact that they have to negotiate a three-year wages deal.

The unions want to negotiate on a yearly basis.

Samwu spokesman Roger Ronnie said late yesterday that Salga had called an informal meeting scheduled for today. Among the issues to be discussed would be whether further protests would be held by union members.

Bus commuters in Johannesburg were left stranded when Metrobus decided not to send out any of its 480 buses after only 26% of its staff turned up for work. Students, meanwhile, were brought in to help out at call centres.

Most Johannesburg departments reported about 50% attendance yesterday. Exceptions were the city’s parks department, which had 68% attendance and Joburg Water, where almost all employees turned up for work.

In Pretoria, most disruptions were in the north of the city with services operating at 50% capacity, said city spokesman William Baloyi.

Durban experienced a 20% stayaway, while Cape Town said 3000 employees out of 23000 were absent from work.

Cape Town acting city manager Rushj Lehutso said that despite some unrest at the city’s civic centre yesterday morning — disgruntled municipal workers threw bottles and other objects at police — it was “business as usual” for the city.

“All our service points were open for business, including those at the civic centre. There was minimal disruption of the daily routine, save for traffic flow in the city centre because of the march by striking workers,” he said.

Cape Town’s parks and solid waste departments were the city’s worst affected sectors. There were also reports of bins being overturned during the march by about 5000 people from Currie’s Fountain to the City Hall in Durban.

However, Salga yesterday played down the strike, saying “there had been no major disruptions to essential services in all major cities”.

Johannesburg acting city manager Sibongile Mazibuko, who accepted a memorandum of grievances on behalf of Salga’s chairman Amos Masondo, who is also the city’s executive mayor, said Johannesburg was taking the protest seriously. “Workers in the municipal sector are an important part of service delivery,” she said.

Mazibuko said they had appealed to the unions and Salga to go back to the negotiating table to try to resolve the dispute. “It is important that the negotiations are finalised as soon as possible.”

The strike received the support of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the South African Communist Party, the National Educational Health and the Allied Workers Union.


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/national.aspx?ID=BD4A67850