Rubbish burns as workers strike on

Zara Nicholson, Aziz Hartley and Sapa

THOUSANDS of municipal workers are expected to take to the streets for the second day today in support of their wage demands after striking workers yesterday knocked over bins and set rubbish alight in the city centre.

More than 1 000 workers from the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) marched through the central city’s streets demanding a living wage, with some saying they took home less than R3 000 at the end of the month.

Before yesterday’s march started, strikers threw refuse bins in the street, burning them.

In Claremont, mounds of rubbish were strewn across parts of Main Road yesterday afternoon.

Peak-hour traffic was reduced to a snail’s pace as motorists negotiated their way through the rubbish.

Workers gathered in Kaizersgracht before marching to the Civic Centre to hand over a memorandum demanding an 18 percent or R2 000 increase.

The crowd flooded the streets with red Samwu T-shirts and banners, many of them were carrying knobkieries and sjamboks.

Strikers chanted, saying: “Down six percent, down” and “Viva 18 percent, Viva”.

The SA Local Government Association (Salga) says it cannot meet the 18 percent demand.

Salga’s latest offer is 6.08 percent.

After throwing refuse bins in the street and burning them, workers reached the Civic Centre and threw stones and vegetables at city officials standing above them on a balcony.

Others smashed the windows of a City of Cape Town vehicle with sticks.

At times, police had trouble containing the crowd who became rowdy and pushed ahead of the convoy.

Police prevented the crowd from reaching the steps in front of the Civic Centre and the crowd had to hand over the memorandum at a back entrance which was barricaded and guarded by armed police.

A Samwu representative told the crowd: “We are prepared to fight, we will not go away until we get this wage.

“We will continue this strike until our demands are met.

“We will be back in the city and we are calling on the workers who weren’t here to join us because an injury to one is an injury to all.”

Deputy Mayor Ian Nielson alighted from an armoured vehicle to accept the memorandum from the strikers.

Nielson then told the striking workers: “The council appreciates its workers and the contribution you make to the community.

“We understand that you want high wages and we accept your right to strike in a legal way.

“We request that you honour the conditions of the strike and respect the rights of other people in the city and their property.

“I will give the memorandum to the mayor and council and we will provide you with a considered response.

“We will respond to you through Salga,” Nielson told the strikers.

The crowd booed at his response.

At the City of Cape Town, however, it was mostly business as usual.

Only one percent of its employees were recorded absent.

Samwu members will again march to the Civic Centre tomorrow to hand over a memorandum to representatives of Salga.

The city issued a statement during the first day of the strike action yesterday saying that there had been “unacceptable levels of violence and intimidation of non-striking workers”.

City communications manager Kylie Hatton said about 280 city staff (1.11 percent) were absent from work without authorisation but approximately 1 200 people had gone on strike.

“The disparity in the figures suggested that some staff may have clocked in for work and joined the march late.

“Line managers will be investigating and applying the principle of ‘no work, no remuneration’ for staff who have left work without authorisation,” Hatton said.

The city temporarily closed the Khayelitsha Fire Station, the Masiphumelele and Fish Hoek Clinics and the Driving Licence Testing Centres at Khayelitsha and Fish Hoek owing to reports of intimidation of staff.

A strike by members of the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) will start on Friday and both strikes are set to continue until wage negotiations with Salga are finalised.

l The City of Cape Town has warned that refuse removal schedules could be affected as the municipal workers strike carries on indefinitely and have asked city residents to use alternative waste drop-off sites.

If refuse is not collected by 9pm, residents are asked by the city to move their bins back into their properties and put the refuse out for the following week’s scheduled rubbish collection day.

In informal settlements, residents can make use of shipping containers.

The city has urged residents not to dump waste or accumulate wet waste.

For information on where to drop refuse, visit www.capetown.gov.za; for any queries regarding the drop-off facilities, residents can contact 021 442 8136.

For any other inquiries, residents are asked to contact the city’s Call Centre on 0860 103 089.

l Meanwhile, Nthatisi Modingoane, spokesman for the City of Johannesburg, said all essential services were running in Johannesburg despite the strike action.

In Tshwane, only 17 percent of workers failed to report for duty. In KwaZulu-Natal strikers stayed home as chilly weather gripped the province.

zara.nicholson@inl.co.za