EThekwini Municipality has served 79 employees with notices of misconduct for engaging in unlawful conduct as outlined in the Disciplinary Procedure Collective Agreement. Pictured is Durban mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda. Picture: Gcina Ndwalane/ KZN Office of the Premier
Seventy-nine striking eThekwini Municipality officials have been given 10 days to show why they should not be dismissed.
On Thursday, the City said it issued notices of misconduct to striking staffers for engaging in unlawful conduct as per the Disciplinary Procedure Collective Agreement.
City Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, said the employees, from different units, face various charges in relation to their participation in the unlawful industrial action which started on February 27.
Kaunda explained that the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) had not made any submissions to the municipality about notice to protest.
"The municipality again reiterates that it has not received a memorandum of grievances or a petition from Samwu, apart for a one-page paper with Ekurhuleni Municipality pay scales which was submitted to the Office of the City Manager on February 27," Kaunda said.
He added that regarding the Category 10 Wage Curve, it must again be highlighted that the categorisation of municipalities and the consequent wage curve of eThekwini Municipality is still under negotiation at a national level, as it is a national competence.
INTERVENTIONS
The City has issued a statement on interventions to be undertaken following the halting of municipal services.
Waste removal: Clean-up operations in the central business districts are being conducted. Residents are urged to keep their refuse on their properties and not drop them at garden refuse sites, which are closed during the strike.
Electricity: Teams are working tirelessly to attend to reported electricity faults, prioritising major power outages in several areas across the city.
Water: Working with law enforcement agencies, the City is working to restore water supply to all affected areas. Water tankers have been dispatched to Hillcrest, Embo, Mariannridge, Mpola, Ntuzuma, Inanda, Redcliffe, Buffelsdraai, Waterloo, Parkgate, uMlazi, KwaMakhutha, Adams Mission, eNgonyameni, Phoenix, Verulam, oThongathi, Trenance Park and KwaXimba.
IOL