22 May 2024
Programme Director
The Chief Operations Officer
Pikitup MD
Members of the Media
Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,
Today we are addressing a matter of utmost importance that is currently affecting our city - the strike by casual workers of Pikitup and the subsequent disruptions to waste management services in various parts of Johannesburg.
As many of you are aware, the contracts of casual workers at Pikitup are on the verge of expiration, leading to protests and demands for permanent employment within the waste management company.
Pikitup advertised 300 general worker positions last year early December (2023). It was decided that an external service provider (the recruitment agency) be appointed to handle the entire recruitment process. Our organized labour was on board on these developments and kept abreast.
These positions were advertised and various people who met the criteria were to apply through online application that was created by the external service provider. Organised labour was notified to attend as observers during the interviews.
Of importance to note is that various employees who are rendering the services of Pikitup to the communities of Johannesburg are appointed on different employment contracts, that is, Cooperatives, EPWP, Casuals and our permanent staff.
The protests were sparked by the deployment of the new recruits to the various depots of Pikitup mid last week. The disruptions of services were occasioned by the disgruntled of workers from various service providers to Pikitup. They felt they were supposed to have been considered and prioritized in the recently held open recruitment processes.
This has resulted in significant disruptions to our waste collection services in areas such as Norwood, Marlboro, Waterval, Selby, Randburg, Midrand, and Diepsloot.
The protests have escalated to the point of impeding Pikitup employees from carrying out their duties, with some workers resorting to destructive actions like burning tires outside depots.
I want to assure you that Pikitup Management is actively engaged in addressing this issue. We are in constant dialogue with the protesting workers to find amicable solutions and ensure the safety of our employees.
Security measures have been implemented to enable our staff to continue serving the community despite the challenges they are facing.
Furthermore, a comprehensive recovery plan has been developed to address any waste collection backlogs that may have arisen due to the disruptions.
Our goal is to restore normal service delivery as quickly as possible and minimize any inconvenience caused to our residents. I want to express my sincere apologies for the disruptions and assure you that we are working tirelessly to resolve the situation.
I am pleased to inform you that Pikitup has obtained a court interdict against the striking workers to ensure the safety of our employees and the continuity of waste management services. Where necessary and where illegal acts have been committed in the furtherance of this strike, we will be taking swift action including the appropriate consequence management against those that have undermined the City’s policies and code of conduct.
The protesters were interdicted against the following:
• Blocking the entrance to the applicants’ depots.
• Disrupting the applicant from rendering services to the regions of the City of Johannesburg and its constituent communities.
• Intimidating, harassing and threatening applicant’s employees with violence.
• Locking the gates to the entrance of the said depots.
• Preventing applicants’ waste collection trucks from entering or exiting such depots and;
• Interfering in any manner whatsoever with the movement of the applicants’ staff and trucks.
This is to ensure that whilst the rights of our employees to protest are protected, these rights must be exercised within the confines of the law and without destroying municipal assets and infrastructure.
We are aware of the allegations surrounding the recruitment process at Pikitup. I have directed an investigation to uncover the truth. If wrongdoing is found, action will be taken against all implicated officials. The MD has committed that the procurement of an independent investigator will be concluded this after to conduct an investigation which is expected to be concluded in the coming weeks.
As of today, the following resources are deployed on the ground:
Inner City: 21 Compactors for Selby, 12 Tipper Trucks, 3 Bob Cats, 3 Mechanical Sweepers, 2 TLB’s and intensified cleaning campaigns.
Marlboro: 16 Compactors, 8 Tipper Trucks, 2 Bob cats, 1 Mechanical sweeper and 2 TLB’s.
Randburg: 16 Compactors, 8 Tipper Trucks, 2 Bob cats, 1 Mechanical sweeper and 2 TLB’s.
Midrand: 16 Compactors, 8 Tipper Trucks, 2 Bob cats, 1 Mechanical sweeper and 2 TLB’s.
Norwood: 16 Compactors, 8 Tipper Trucks, 2 Bob cats, 1 Mechanical sweeper and 2 TLB’s.
Roodepoort: 16 Compactors, 8 Tipper Trucks, 2 Bob cats, 1 Mechanical sweeper and 2 TLB’s.
Overall: 101 Compactors, 52 Tipper Trucks, 13 Bob cats, 8 Mechanical sweeper and 12 TLB’s.
Thank You.
