Members of the South African Municipal Workers Union brought the City of Tshwane to a standstill on Monday as they marched across the capital demanding that the municipality address the unsafe working conditions.

The workers, who are responsible for waste removal and collection in the City, noted that their health was under constant threat due to a lack of personal protective equipment. According to SAMWU Tshwane regional secretary Mpho Tladinyane, workers are expected to collect waste without being provided with necessary gloves.

No PPE

“Occupational health and safety dictates that the employer provides necessary protective clothing for all its employees. Currently, most workers in waste depots throughout the city are without PPE [personal protective equipment], and the city seems not to care in providing such,” Tladinyane explained, while handing over the workers grievances to Tshwane city manager Moeketsi Mosola.

“Our members risk being exposed to serious diseases. Workers in various dumping sites are also attacked by vagrants on a daily basis, and the employer is not properly responding to such a situation,” he added.

No trucks

In addition to the unsafe working conditions waste workers demanded full time jobs from the municipality and raised their concerns about the lack of trucks provided fleet management service provider.

“The challenge workers have is that the number [of trucks] provided is less than the available workers. At any given time, there are close to 200 workers doing nothing due to unavailability of the trucks. Further to that, all trucks that require service and maintenance are always parked at the depot, unattended,” Tladinyane explained.

Issues being resolved

In response to the march and the memorandum Mosola, who was representing Executive Mayor of Tshwane Solly Msimanga, said the city’s top officials will be urgently meeting the aggrieved this week.

“We have heard you, and your memorandum is received. One by one, we are resolving these issues, which have been outstanding for way too long,” Mosola said.

Mosola also thanked the waste workers for remaining disciplined despite the fact that they’re unhappy.

–ANA