The situation is calm in the Pretoria City Centre following three days of disruptions due to the municipal workers’ protest action.
City of Tshwane workers have been on strike since Monday. They are demanding an 18% salary increase after management approved the wage hikes for executives by the same margin.
Parties involved in negotiations to end the strike are meeting in a conciliation process at the bargaining council in Centurion, south of the City.
The Acting Tshwane Mayor Abel Tau has conceded that their decision to approve an 18% salary increase for senior staff was an oversight.
Tau says he expects the issue to be resolved soon.
“Two wrongs will never make a right at all times will always take responsibility unfortunately that means we have mechanisms to remedy any challenge that we face and I don’t think an illegal strike is one unfortunately we have identified where the glitches were and we will obviously take corrective action. The most important issue here is that when the issue was picked up we were there as politicians opened to negotiation and look at how we remedy the situation unfortunately SAMWU didn’t want to come to the table.”
It’s business as usual along Madiba Street in front of Tshwane House, which is the headquarters of the City of Tshwane Municipality.
The street is open. Even though there is large police contingent, there are no employees in sight.
Frustration
Meanwhile, Tshwane residents are feeling the impact of the strike. The protest action has caused chaos in the Pretoria CBD where traffic is congested, refuse has not been collected and residents have been unable to pay for their services.
In Mamelodi, one resident has described the situation as frustrating. “No actually I feel bad really. I feel bad as a resident but there is nothing I can do. I was here the day before yesterday and even yesterday I was here. Offices are still closed. There is nothing I can do. Tomorrow is a due date for me. So which means if I will pay next week they are going to charge me.”
