Call for better wages leads to death of workers

Johannesburg - As the country commemorated the Marikana Massacre this month, workers at the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality in Mpumalanga found themselves engaged in a battle of their own for better wages.

But, alas, like the miners who were mowed down by police at the Koppie on August 16, 2012, municipal workers were met with force and the sound of guns going off. When the dust had settled, there was blood flowing in the streets and two workers were dead and two others were injured.

This was the culmination of a three-week-long strike action where workers wanted the municipality to grade them and give them better wages. But their pleas appear to be falling on deaf ears.

According to one worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, the workers had been promised that they would be graded during protests last year and earlier this year, but the officials reneged on that agreement.

"Last year and earlier this year, the municipality agreed to grade us but before the last municipal manager left he benchmarked our municipality with one that is not similar and it hit a deadlock. The new municipal manager sent out letters saying he was waiting for Cogta and Salga to give the go-ahead. But he has since failed to engage us and is not saying anything to us," said the worker.

That sentiment was echoed by Kgosi Makwati, the workers’ representative, who said it was shocking that up to now the employer had not made any attempt to meet with the representatives of the employees but instead unleashed had unprovoked violence and death.

“Instead, the illegally sourced security company that was meant to ‘protect the acting municipal manager’ is now guarding the Civic Centre. The poorly trained and heavily armed security guards belonging to this unknown entity shot at four unarmed workers with live ammunition at close range.

“The thugs, who wore no uniform and had no identification tags, shot the defenceless workers with live ammunition. Some workers were shot more than once,” he said.

Makwati laid the blame for the deaths squarely at the feet of the municipal manager, claiming that he “issued the instruction to shoot”.

“This view emanates from the incidents that took place on Sunday (August 14) when eight striking workers’ homes were attacked by a mob of armed men. These men later told us that they were paid by the executive mayor to quell the strike.

“The acting municipal manager was seen at a nearby local restaurant with the ringleader of the mob on Tuesday (August 16). The strategy of the executive is now clear: avoid negotiating with the striking workers and use underhanded tactics to quash the strike,” Makwati added.

The South African Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu) and its affiliate, the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa (Matusa), condemned the killings.

Saftu spokesperson Trevor Shaku said members of their affiliated union reported that the adjustment of salary grading had been won in a previous protest, but the municipality had reneged in implementing such salary gradings.

“This is what caused the current protest. The irresponsible municipal management, thinking they are above the ordinary citizens of our communities and workers employed in that municipality, resorted to hiring private security armed with rifles and live ammunition.

“The security unit, which, judging from their regalia, is not meant to handle riots and public order, mowed down workers as if they were a criminal gang involved in a bank robbery. These workers were shot and killed one day after the commemoration of Marikana,” he said.

Saftu and Matusa called for the mayor, municipal managers and anyone who authorised the procurement of the private security and the shooting of workers to be charged with murder and attempted murder, and to be arrested.

Shaku added that the supervisor of the security guards should be arrested and an investigation launched to check the link of the security company that killed workers to the management of the municipality, and the leadership of the ruling party in the municipality.

“In particular, we hope that the private security company is not owned by the mayor or one of the councillors or senior staff members in the municipalities. Given the wide use of unlicensed firearms, an investigation on whether the firearms and rifles which were used are licensed (needs to take place),” he said.

While tensions remain high in the municipality, service delivery has been hampered. Workers are also at risk of not getting paid their salaries at the end of the month. Another worker who spoke on the condition of anonymity said he was not sure how he was going to survive the next month.

“The situation is dire. The municipality will likely implement a no work, no pay policy and that will hit hard. I’m the only person who works in my house and so if there is no salary then we are going to go hungry,” said the worker.