Joburg and Samwu are at the CCMA trying to find a negotiated solution acceptable to all parties in a bid to end the strike by Pikitup workers.
THE City is working towards resolving the three-week strike by Pikitup employees affiliated to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu).
“We will continue to seek negotiated solutions to the strike and currently we are engaging with Samwu at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration [CCMA] to discuss possible solutions,” said the City’s director of communications, Gabu Tugwana.
The strike comes as employees protest over alleged issuing of irregular tenders by management and wage increases. Most recently, the banning of labour brokers has also been added to the list of grievances. The union is also demanding that casual workers be made permanent employees.
Amid the strike, the managing director of Pikitup, Zami Nkosi, and the chairperson, Phumla Radebe, have resigned, along with several board members.
Tugwana said the City’s primary concern was to resume normal refuse removal services to businesses as quickly as possible to reduce the backlog of waste that had built up over the past two weeks.
Residents have also been assured that negotiations will be fast-tracked so that services can return to normal. “We are convinced that the outstanding issues can be resolved through negotiations in good faith,” he said.
Landfill sites are accepting refuse delivered by residents. Some people had already embarked on initiatives to organise refuse removal in their neighbourhoods, a move which was commended by the City, Tugwana said.
In an effort to support this, the City is working with its partners in the inner city and the various city improvements districts to help. In addition, operating hours at landfill sites have been extended to accommodate those people who work.
There are four landfill sites accepting domestic rubbish:
Goudkoppies – Houthammer Road, Devland;
Marie Louise – Dobsonville Road, Roodepoort;
Robinson Deep – Turffontein Road, Turffontein; and
Ennerdale – Old Lawley Road, Lawley.
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