Samwu ‘disgusted’ over paltry increase for EPWP workers

31 October 2017 - 16:30 By Penwell Dlamini
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SAMWU flag
SAMWU flag
Image: Gallo Images / Beeld / Cornel Van Heerden

The SA Municipal Workers Union says it is disgusted by the decision to increase the daily rate of Extended Public Works Programme workers from R83.50 to just R88.

“Samwu notes with utter disgust the statement released by the Department of Public Works wherein the Deputy Director General for the Extended Public Works (EPWP) Mr Henderson announces a salary increase for EPWP participants to be effected on the first of November 2017.

“SAMWU views this so-called salary increase as a slap in the face of EPWP participants who are the poor of the poor among the working class.

It is shameful that the department has bravely announced this increment taking their daily salary to R88 per day‚ which translates to a monthly remuneration of R1‚760 assuming that the participant has worked five days a week for a month.

“The sectoral minimum wage for Local Government is currently R6‚800 and as such it is shameful and disgusting that people who are doing the same job as those employed permanently and directly by municipalities are set to continue receiving slave wages‚” Samwu said in a statement.

Hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries work for the municipalities under the EPWP doing‚ among other tasks‚ cleaning in communities. Samwu said it views EPWP workers as municipal workers “rendering municipal functions which will forever be required by municipalities”.

“We view this increment as an attempt to ensure that there is a constant supply of cheap labour while people are continually entangled in the perpetual circle of poverty. We further demand the immediate cessation of the use of EPWP programmes for the delivery of services.

We are of the view that EPWP participants should be directly and permanently employed by municipalities‚” the union said.


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