The City of Tshwane continues to clamp down on employees who are participating in an unlawful and unprotected strike by issuing an additional 55 dismissal letters.
This stern action by the City brings the total number of employees who have been dismissed to 93 over a space of two weeks. More dismissal letters are in the process of being issued to striking employees.
The breakdown of the dismissed employees is as follows per region and department:
- Three from Group Financial Services
- 12 from the Energy and Electricity Department
- Nine from Region 2
- 17 from Region 3
- 14 from Region 4
The strike action has now entered its third week, despite the Labour Court granting the City an interim interdict against the strike and declaring it to be unlawful and unprotected on 28 July 2023.
The court interdict has directed the striking employees to stop intimidating their co-workers and not to damage City property and any public or private property.
When it became clear that the striking employees were in contempt of court, the City approached the Labour Court again on an urgent basis last Friday for the enforcement of the interim interdict.
On Monday, 7 August 2023, the judge refused to grant the City the contempt order, and instead asked the City to identify the striking employees, together with the union leaders. The City has now identified the individuals behind the strike and is finalising its court application, which is likely to be filed tomorrow.
The striking employees, who are affiliated with the trade union SAMWU, were given three ultimatums by the City Manager to return to work, but they disregarded his directives.
Service delivery has been hampered in certain parts of Tshwane due to continuous intimidation of employees by those who are participating in the strike. The City has devised plans to protect the workers who are being intimidated in order to prevent service interruptions.
Today, the City opened a case docket of arson at Lyttelton Police Station against striking employees who damaged waste bins and set them alight at the Waste Management Depot in Centurion.