While the union threatens to take action at the G20 summit, Tshwane pledges to raise worker salaries

Eugene Modise, the Finance MMC for the City of Tshwane, has promised municipal employees that the city will honor the 3.5% pay increase that was agreed upon with labour unions for the fiscal year 2021–2022.

Samwu, the South African Municipal Workers Union, has threatened to disrupt the November G20 summit in Johannesburg due to nonpayment.

According to Modise, the previous administration paid employee bonuses in installments, but the multiparty government that took office last year paid them all at once.

“Our current preoccupation is to ensure that we get a 3.5% increase for our employees. That’s our preoccupation and not political gimmicks,” he said.

Modise, who is also deputy executive mayor, told workers during a Samwu-led march to Tshwane in July that the city proposed a phased payment approach for the 3.5% salary increase.

He said the proposal, which outlined a phased payment approach starting with junior staff, followed by middle staff, and finally senior staff, was presented to and agreed upon by Samwu leadership.

However, Samwu regional chairperson Lehlogonolo Maphatsoe disputed this, claiming the city offered a once-off payment in two instalments, scheduled for 2026 and 2027, which the union rejected.

“We want the 3.5% to be implemented into our normal salaries, not as a once-off payment,” he said.

Recently Samwu regional secretary Donald Monakisi said efforts are underway to mobilise support from all Cosatu-affiliated unions to put pressure on Tshwane to honour a collective bargaining agreement that includes salary increases of 3.5% for 2021 and 5.4% for 2023.

Monakisi reiterated the union's stance that “there will be no G20 in Gauteng" until workers receive their salary increases.

The union is also upset that the council approved a 5% salary increase for councillors last month, while workers' demands remain unmet.

Monakisi said Cosatu in Gauteng used the International Day of Decent Work on October 7 to rally support for a planned protest during the G20 Summit.

Gauteng Cosatu deputy chairperson Mogomotsi Seleke accused Tshwane of backtracking on the agreement, highlighting the irony that councillors recently received a 5% salary increase, while city workers are still waiting for theirs.

Monakisi said that once Samwu in Tshwane has a consolidated programme in place, it will be presented to the national organisation for buy-in. 

Afterwards, he said, the union will mobilise support from nearby provinces like Mpumalanga and the Free State.

“We can have world leaders converging in Gauteng whereas the same province has got issues and as workers of the province we will be the ones who are expected to make sure that the programme becomes a success,” he said.

rapula.moatshe@inl.co.za