City of Tshwane takes action against non-performing employees

The City of Tshwane is examining attendance records to find employees not on strike but neglecting daily duties.

A comprehensive review of attendance records is used to identify workers who are failing to fulfill their regular job responsibilities.

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CITY OF TSHWANE REVIEWS RECORDS OF ATTENDANCE

A preliminary review of attendance logs has highlighted a recurring pattern where employees sign in, in the morning and out in the afternoon.

Subsequently becoming unaccounted for or neglecting their duties. Consequently, essential tasks such as addressing water leaks, pipe bursts, waste collection, and power outages have predominantly fallen to external service providers.

ALSO READ: Striking municipal workers refuse to budge on 0% wage as strike continues

Influenced by what they saw in Regions 1, 3, 4, 6, and 7, the City has chosen to widen their examination of attendance logs to include all seven areas of Tshwane.

Their aim is to identify workers who are at their jobs but are not completing their tasks, even though they are paid for them.

City Manager Johann Mettler has strongly urged employees to return to their duties and carry out their contractual obligations.

CITY MANAGER SAYS THEY WILL NOT HESITATE TO SUSPEND THEIR SALARIES

Mettler said, “We’ll carefully check attendance records. If we find absenteeism or fraud, we’ll suspend their pay.”

This event comes after a strike began on July 24, 2023, by South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) members. The strike is about the city not giving the agreed-upon pay raises from three years ago.

To stop the strike, the city got an interim court order declaring it illegal and unprotected. The order orders employees to go back to work and not scare coworkers or damage things.

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SAMWU leaders instructed members to resume duties on August 9, 2023. However, some workers still remain absent or avoid responsibilities. These actions lead to consequences, potentially including salary cuts.

The city has already dismissed 122 employees and halted their pay for joining the illegal strike, upholding the “no work, no pay” rule.

In the meantime, the city engaged in talks with SAMWU and IMATU at the South African Local Government Bargaining Council (SALGBC). These discussions aimed to resolve the ongoing wage dispute.

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As of August 10, 2023, the city formally requested an exemption from adhering to the Salary and Wage Collective Agreement. The basis for this request is the city’s claim that it cannot afford the stipulated wage increases.

However, during the hearing, SAMWU raised preliminary legal points (points in limine) which were dismissed by the presiding officer. The exemption application argument has been rescheduled for August 30.