Pretoria - The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has taken a swipe at Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink for implicating its senior regional member in the fire-bombing of a waste removal truck.
The alleged incident, Brink said, was captured on video footage showing a group of people alighting from a vehicle on the unidentified street.
The people proceeded to fire-bomb the waste truck of a service provider contracted to the municipality.
Brink said the vehicle that dropped off the people has been linked to a Samwu leader.
He told journalists last week that the official was subsequently dismissed after he made an alibi that “the possession of his vehicle on the day of the attack could not be verified”.
“The evidence in this matter was handed over to the SAPS shortly after the incident. On their advice, the City did
not release any of the evidence to the public. The investigation is still ongoing, but no arrests have been made.”
Reacting to Brink’s utterances, Samwu general secretary Dumisane Magagula said: “We wish to emphasise that we have previously faced unfounded accusations from the mayor, only to be vindicated by the courts and the City itself.”
Among the various charges and “unwarranted dismissals issued to our members and municipal workers, none are related to the destruction or vandalism of municipal property”, he said
“Samwu has also not received any communication from the City in accordance with the Labour Relations Act, which stipulates that disciplinary action against a trade union representative or an employee who holds a trade union office should not be initiated without first informing and consulting the trade union,” he said.Magagula said Brink’s recent attacks on the union were to tarnish “our image, undermine our reputation, and portray our members and municipal workers as violent”.
“Due to the mayor’s reckless behaviour, community members may unjustly target municipal workers, due to the false narration that workers are involved in sabotage and violence and have crippled service delivery,” he said.
The union said its members and leaders have no interest in damaging infrastructure owned by their employer. “We warned the City that the mismanagement of this situation will be exploited by criminals.”
For three months workers affiliated to Samwu have been at odds with the municipality over salary increments.
There had been reported incidents of violence, including torching of municipal vehicles, disruption of service delivery such as refuse collection and withdrawal of Tshwane Bus Services since the strike began in July.
The City had dismissed at least 128 workers for participating in the unlawful strike. During last week’s media briefing, Brink said: “The trade union has, of course, denied any involvement in acts of criminality. At times they have also denied that there is a strike or that their leaders had any part in it.”
Pretoria News