Africa-Press – South-Africa. A dispute over Covid-19 lockdown pay prompted Thembisile Hani Local Municipality workers to embark on a go-slow in Mpumalanga, which affected water supply to homes in Thembalethu and Mandela villages.
Although the provision of water has resumed after the go-slow ended, the workers have still not been paid and negotiations between the parties are continuing.
Mpumalanga secretary of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU), Sam Lekhuleni, said the dispute arose after the municipality promised to pay workers in different departments for working during Levels 5, 4 and 3 of the Covid-19 lockdown, but failed to do so.
Lekhuleni said:
Lekhuleni said workers staged pickets on various occasions between 28 July and 1 August.
Municipality spokesperson Simphiwe Mokoka conceded that workers were not paid.
“Covid-19 arrived at a time when there was nothing in place to guide us on how workers who worked during lockdown should be paid,” Mokoka said.
“We are still negotiating at the bargaining council. Workers will be paid but we have to be guided by something,” he said.
The situation affected water supply to several homes in the villages, according to residents.
“I had to buy water from people who have boreholes,” one resident, Johannes Mnguni, said.
Mokoka admitted that the go-slow disrupted the provision of running water and said trucks were used to supply water to the affected villages.
Mokoka added that the situation was back to normal.
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