Court orders striking Zululand workers to stop protesting

The Labour Court has granted water authority Mhlathuze Water an interim interdict preventing its workers from protesting.

This follows industrial action by workers affiliated to the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) on Monday. The striking workers are alleged to have disrupted water supply in some parts of Richards Bay, in the north of KwaZulu-Natal.

It is believed that the protest action is related to labour issues - but Mhlathuze Water says that they had afforded the union an opportunity to discuss the issue

“When the management of Mhlathuze Water and the city of uMhlathuze afforded union representatives an audience on Monday afternoon, they spurned the opportunity of discussing their alleged grievances with the management and opted instead to picket,” the water authority said on Tuesday.

The interdict forbids striking workers from disrupting the delivery of water or gathering without permission.