IN PICS | ‘Lazy’ municipal cleaners take to the streets in Durban

eThekwini municipality cleaners have taken to the streets to protest against alleged unfair labour practices.

Workers affiliated with the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa (Matusa) claimed their duties are outsourced to contractors while there are employees who have the capacity to do the work.

They said this has an impact on their performance outlook and prevents them receiving overtime work.

They will march from King Dinizulu Park to the Durban City Hall accompanied by police in a protected strike.

Mlungisi Nkwanyana, Matusa’s eThekwini secretary-general, said the march was a follow-up to a recent march when mayor Mxolisi Kaunda allegedly failed to respond to demands. Their demands include:

• permanently employing contracted expanded public works programme workers;
• placing all municipal workers on a category 10 salary scale; and
• granting organisational rights to the union.

Nkwanyana said the municipality does not recognise the union, despite it meeting the threshold of having at least 15% of all municipal workers as members.

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Nkwanyana said they were also calling on Kaunda to withdraw comments he allegedly made about municipal workers being lazy.

“He must apologise or step down for his comments about us being lazy. How are we lazy when we want work but work is outsourced to sub-contractors? You go to parks and recreation and there are no tools to work, yet contractors are working every day,” he said.

Nkwanyana said they would hand a memorandum to Kaunda’s office.

This is a developing story.

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