Photo by: Duane Daws
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) would on Friday consult with members about new a offer tabled by Rand Water.
The union’s national bargaining officer Chumani Gqeke would not reveal the details of the revised offer tabled during a meeting on Thursday.
“We held a meeting with the employer on Thursday where they revised their wage offer…unfortunately I am in no position to reveal the details of the offer. All is now in the hands of members at Rand Water to indicate whether they accept the offer or not, we will communicate details of the offer as soon as processes are concluded,” said Gqeke.
A bid by Rand Water to secure a court interdict against Samwu’s planned strike was unsuccessful in the Labour Court in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Said Gqeke: “The judge instead instructed the parties to go back to the negotiation table and work on concluding the minimum agreement. We had always maintained that there was no need to approach the courts for an interdict.”
The union has demanded a 10% increase for lowest paid workers, nine% for middle income workers and eight% for supervisors. It also demanded a 12% incentive bonus and R2 150 housing allowance across the board.
Rand Water later revised its offer to a seven% wage increase from an initial 6%, which was rejected by Samwu.
The strike, which was scheduled to have began on Thursday, would have affected water supply in Gauteng and some parts of Mpumalanga.