SAMWU+Johannesburg+Strike+Statement



=SAMWU Johannesburg Strike Statement=

The streets of Johannesburg will once more turn red. These streets of the golden-city will taste the municipal workers' anger as we the militant members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) go on strike tomorrow (Thursday, 11 May 2006).

This time we not only striking against last-year's unfinished business of wage increments. We still coming to that one with zeal.

Tomorrow we shall be striking for one aspect of that unfinished action – we demand payment for the accumulated money for our sick-leave that still remains unpaid.

The City of Johannesburg has once more shown its total disdain and disrespect for the workers' rights. They are still refusing to pay us what is justifiably belonging to us the members of the militant Samwu.

Despite all the legitimate efforts by our leaders to avert this strike, the City of Johannesburg has provoked us beyond imagination.

They have proved that they are no-where near transforming themselves into a transparent and worker-friendly municipality.

Given all their arrogance, we therefore have no other alternative but to make them realise that the workers of this country have the power to strike hard against the exploitative attitude of the municipal fat-cats.

This municipal workers' action cannot be looked at in isolation from the growing workers' anger against the bosses of this country.

In fact, this strike should be looked at in the context of the re-invogorated Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu) action against job-losses this month.

Even though this action is spear-headed by just a part of workers belonging to Samwu's biggest branch – Johannesburg central, there is no guarantee that other municipal workers in waste removal (Pick It Up), water (Joburg Water), electricity (City Power) and the rest of other utilities run by the untransformative City of Johannesburg.

The central demand of the workers is the payment of all the accumulated sick-leave belonging to the workers.

We shall converge at the Library Gardens from as early as nine 'o clock before we march to the Johannesburg Roads Agency offices in Johannesburg at the corner of Sauer and Jeppe Streets.

In case the roads agency does not want to bulge to our demands, we will have no other alternative but to embark on a long and dreary strike the country has ever seen.

Issued on behalf of the South African Municipal Workers Union by:


 * Cheche Selepe**


 * Dumisane Langa**
 * Branch Secretary**
 * 076 199 9029**

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