Tshwane mayor Cilliers Brink rejects council worker pay hikes, says ratepayers will suffer

The DA in Tshwane believes any increase in worker salaries will leave it with no choice but to hike municipal rates.

This after the local government bargaining council ruled in favour of the municipal workers, mandating the council executive to increase salaries by 5.5%. Salary increases may resolve the ongoing impasse that has plunged the city into strikes and chaotic protests. 

DA caucus spokesperson Kwena Moloto said his party noted the decision with concern, saying the move would force the cash-strapped city to look to ratepayers to ease its financial woes.

He said residents would inevitably be required to pay more for fewer services. “An increase in salaries will result in an exercise that has to supplement an already burdened budget, using ratepayers’ money.”

Moloto said the party was not in agreement with the denial of its request to be exempted from the increase, arguing that the decision was “deeply flawed” and based on a theoretical budget surplus rather than a thorough examination of the city's cash flow.

“To comply with the bargaining council's decision, the municipality will be compelled to make severe cuts to essential services, leading to a significant reduction in funds allocated for street lighting, pothole repairs and grass cutting. Furthermore, this would force the suspension of crucial capital projects intended to ensure a stable water supply and consistent electricity supply.”

The DA would refuse to consider any suggestion that involved sacrificing service delivery to fund wage increases.

“The stark reality is that Tshwane cannot bear the staggering burden of an additional R600m resulting from this increase, which will be imposed on its already strained salary bill.”

The caucus spokesperson launched an attack on the union, criticising Samwu for “holding municipalities hostage” through strikes and violence while trapping municipalities who cannot afford the increases.

“The consequences of allowing this judgment to stand unchallenged are dire, with Tshwane potentially following the unfortunate footsteps of many other failed municipalities,” said Moloto.

In light of this, the executive says it will contest the decision and has vowed to initiate a review of the bargaining council judgment.

In the Tuesday council meeting, executive mayor Cilliers Brink urged councillors to allow the labour dispute processes to unfold and not interfere in the worker impasse, nor buckle under union pressure.

“The municipal council has tabled a budget and made a certain resolution [to request an exemption on worker salaries]. On the other end, there was an outcome of the bargaining council and a decision announced. Any decision made at the bargaining council is open for review. The city manager has indicated that there are grounds for a review, and that being the case we must allow the process to unfold,” said Brink.

The mayor believed it was inappropriate for the council to become involved in individual labour disputes, to entertain the demands for certain actions to be taken and for them to make a decision that will have budgetary implications outside the budget cycle.

However, EFF councillors rejected this, questioning whose interests the executive was claiming to represent in its bid to get the bargaining council decision overturned.

“If you are telling us the matter is sub-judice, that means it is under legal review. Which interests are being represented by the executive? Councillors have not mandated the mayor and his executive to review anything in court,” said one EFF councillor who could not immediately be identified.

“It can't be that the executive takes up legal battles without consulting the council. If they lose, who will pay the legal fees? As the EFF, we are concerned with the route you are taking.”

Council speaker Mncedi Ndzwanana urged councillors to write to the mayor and his executive with their views on the labour disputes in the city — and pleaded with councillors to set the matter aside and deal with the agenda items. These include the executive's non-submission of financial statements to the auditor-general, irregular expenditure in the city and departmental executive reports.

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