Samwu threatens Jo'burg City strike

The South African Municipal Workers' Union (Samwu) has warned of a shutdown in Johannesburg‚ saying city officials have failed to address their grievances. The Times reports that workers want better working conditions before the reintegration of municipal-owned entities‚ the adherence to labour laws and the absorption of all municipality contract workers. ‘The municipality must listen to workers and the grievances must be addressed‚ it's long overdue‚’ said Bafana Zungu‚ regional secretary of Samwu. ‘The frustration is that the employees feel neglected. Our last resort will be to roll out a regional mass action as soon as next month. The municipality leadership did not show up. It's bad faith‚ this shows they are not committed to solving issues of the workers.’ ‘We will not render any services since the employer is anti-production.’ Zungu said the workers are from Jo'burg Water‚ City Power‚ the Johannesburg Road Agency‚ City Parks‚ Pikitup‚ Rea Vaya‚ Metrobus‚ and many other members of the union.