Samwu postpones Rand Water strike
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) has postponed its strike at Rand Water pending a dispute resolution.
On Wednesday, Rand Water applied for an urgent interdict at the Labour Court in Johannesburg in an effort to prevent the strike from going ahead.
Samwu is angry at a decision by Rand Water to withdraw incentive bonuses.
"We went to court this morning and the court wanted to know why RandWater didn't engage Samwu before they unilaterally decided to withdraw incentive bonuses to workers. We are vindicated because Rand Water was told to reverse those changes," says the union’s Bafana Zungu
Zungu says the postponement will allow the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) to intervene in the matter.
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It will also mediate in the disputes over a housing allowance, six months fully paid maternal leave and one month fully paid paternal leave.
He says the union remains open to discussions with Rand Water to avoid water supply interruptions, however if they act in bad, the union will have no choice but to down tools.
"If the employer fails to agree to the demands of workers, we unfortunately cannot guarantee that residents and industries that are served by Rand Water in Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and NorthWest will have running water.”
