Bad conduct of Rusternburg & Mafikeng Municipalities 31-07-08

Bad conduct of Rustenburg and Mafikeng Municipalities

The Congress of South African Trade Union (COSATU) condemns the attitude of the Mafikeng Municipal Manager and Mayor, who have dismissed our four shop stewards, elected by workers to represent their views, and not those of the opportunist, corrupt municipal manager and the mayor of Mafikeng.

COSATU supports SAMWU against the unfair dismissal of our shop stewards, and calls for an urgent reinstatement and withdrawal of all charges against SAMWU members. We also call for an investigation of corrupt officials, including the mayor of Mafikeng. It is on record that our shop stewards/members were dismissed, sued over R50000.00, victimised and intimidated by the municipality for fighting against corruption in the same municipality that is victimising our members after the ANC Sun City Provincial Conference

Rustenburg Municipality

Once again COSATU has been calling for the Department of Labour and SALGA to investigate Safety of our members during working hours.

COSATU calls on the municipality of Rustenburg and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) to take responsibility for our members who were involved in an accident in a car belonging to the municipality during working hours on Monday 28th July 2008. Our members have been complaining to the municipal manager that municipal cars are not roadworthy and are dangerous to workers and to the public.

COSATU demand that a full suspension of the so-called Municipal Manager and Senior Directors involved in the maintenance of all health and safety, including the cars that are used by our members during working hours.

We call upon:

The Department of Traffic to fully investigate the municipality car that was involved in an accident due to poor conditions, which are not roadworthy and left four members Samwu in hospital since Monday 28th July 2008.
SALGA to do their work and defend the public.
The Department of Labour to submit report to the workers on non-compliance by municipalities in particular Rustenburg.
All our members to refuse to use cars that are not in good condition, and all areas that are not in compliance with the Health and Safety Act.

Madibeng Municipality

COSATU / SAMWU calls upon Madibeng municipality to stop treating our members badly, by victimizing and intimidating them over Sun City and the forthcoming ANC Regional Congress, and insists:

That all our members remain in the work station where they are now.
That the municipality must stop employing people or workers merely because they are on the preferred list of the ANC Regional Congress.
That all our members must be treated according to the Labour Relation Act, and not according to whom they support at the forthcoming ANC Regional Congress.
That workers must refuse to be used by any opportunist in the municipality, and that our members must refuse to be transferred to any department against their will.
That our members must report all matters of corruption by both councillors and officials to COSATU / SAMWU in detail.

For more information feel free to call Solly Phetoe on 082 304 4055