Fire fighters fight a fire at Rhodes Memorial. March 17 2009 Photo by Michael Walker Fire fighters fight a fire at Rhodes Memorial. March 17 2009 Photo by Michael Walker
Mayor Patricia de Lille has rejected Cosatu provincial secretary Tony Ehrenreich’s threat to take her to the Equality Court over the city’s seemingly sexist policy on pregnant firefighters.
She said he did not understand the bargaining process.
Cosatu affiliate the SA Municipal Workers Union has declared a dispute about discrimination against female firefighters.
Ehrenreich said city firefighters who fell pregnant lost about R40 000 a year, or as much as 23 percent of their operational allowances. But when male workers were not operational they did not lose the allowance.
He gave De Lille until tomorrow to stop “discriminating” against woman firefighters or face the Equality Court.
Ehrenreich said that in the last elections, De Lille, DA leader Helen Zille and DA parliamentary leader Lindiwe Mazibuko featured together on DA posters, ostensibly to illustrate how the party, which controls the city and the province, valued women, but it was a farce.
“It was pure propaganda, as afterwards we saw an all-male DA provincial cabinet,” he said.
De Lille said shift allowances for pregnant firefighters were not part of a 2007 collective agreement between the city, Samwu and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union.
“As a trade union leader, Tony Ehrenreich should really be expected to understand the collective bargaining process and respect (Commission for) Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration processes.
“However, his recent pronouncements on aspects of the collective agreement indicates that he clearly does not do either,” De Lille said. - The Cape Times