DURBAN - STRIKING workers in the eThekwini Municipality’s Durban Solid Waste Unit are expected back at work today.
Last week the municipality had threatened to fire them unless they returned to duty.
The unions said yesterday the strike was over, the workers had returned to work and they would continue to engage with the municipality over the concerns that had been raised.
The Mercury understands that some of the workers who were on strike had returned to work by Friday.
The striking workers were in the northern depots that include Phoenix and Newlands.
More than 100 staff members had taken part in the strike, crippling services.
The workers downed tools last week after a grievance complaint they had filed against one of their managers had not gone in their favour.
The manager had questioned the authenticity of some of the overtime claims that some workers had filed. They pushed for this manager to be removed from the position, alleging they had been ill-treated. But after an investigation into the allegations, the manager was cleared.
Last week the city secured an interdict against the striking workers. The interdict, granted on February 18 by the Labour Court in Durban, listed the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) among the respondents.
It also listed various employees of the applicant (eThekwini Municipality) as respondents.
The court order stated that the respondents were interdicted from engaging in conduct that would amount to an unprotected strike or
unlawful work stoppage. They were also interdicted from impeding normal access and egress from the DSW depots, and from entering the depots unless there were reporting for work.
It also stated that they were interdicted from threatening or interfering with any lawful person employed by the municipality. The unions were further directed to restrain their members from acting in an unlawful manner.
Xolani Dube of Samwu said that as far as they were concerned the strike was over. It ended on Friday and workers should be back at work by today.
However, he warned that the municipality should not rush to sanction the workers who were striking.
“There are things that we as the union believe were mistakes that were made by the municipality that contributed to the strike.”
He declined to reveal what those mistakes were, saying only that they would engage with the city about them.
The municipality has said that those who were on strike would have to face the consequences, as it was an illegal strike.
Queen Mbatha of Imatu said the workers had returned to work pending further negotiations with the municipality this week.
“There were negotiations on Friday and an agreement was reached that workers should return. The workers had to return as the community was suffering,” she said.
She said they would be engaging with management over the issues that have been raised by the workers.
DSW head Raymond Rampersad said: “An interdict has been served on them, and there is no way around this any more. If they’re not back at work by Monday morning (today), they will be fired,” he said.
Rampersad some of the workers had quietly returned to work following the threat to their jobs. He added that the workers had started dealing with the backlog as the city had not been able to deliver services to many areas.
THE MERCURY