Members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) working at the Rustenburg Local Municipality in the North West are on strike over grading of their salaries.
The union says it has been demanding improvement of their salary scale codes for more than seven years.
Samwu laments that their members are paid as if they are working for a Grade 5 municipality, whereas the Rustenburg Local Municipality is on Grade 7 already.
Municipalities are graded according to their size.
The union started striking yesterday and allege that the mayor, municipal manager and directors already had their scales upgraded to Grade 7.
Samwu shop-steward Bushy Mafora says, “We have been engaging with the employer since from 2017/ 2018. The employer was arrogant … they are telling us that salary negotiations can be negotiated at the bargaining council.”
“They are confusing issues here, we are not talking about salary increment, we are talking about the grading on the municipality. Hence the executive mayor, the municipality manager and the director are getting salaries of Grade 7. That’s why we’re striking,” adds Mafora.
