The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) said it welcomes the decision by Judge Molahlehi, Acting Judge of the Labour Court, to review two applications from the City of Tshwane, on the 28 November 2024.
Dumisane Magagula, General Secretary of SAMWU, said this decision is a significant milestone for the Union and its members.
“Last month, the Labour Court scheduled the 2023 review application for November, but did not set a date for the overdue 2021 case. In the interest of fairness and efficiency, SAMWU requested that these related cases be heard together, as they both address the City’s refusal to implement agreed salary increases for municipal workers.”
SAMWU said this case goes way back to 2021, when municipal workers were to receive a 3.5% salary increase in 2021 and a 5.4% increase in 2023.
” Instead of implementing these increases, the City of Tshwane applied for exemptions for both years. When these exemptions were dismissed by the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC), the City sought to review the decisions, further delaying workers’ increases.”