The City of Ekurhuleni has moved to deal with the 49 unruly waste collection workers who engaged in gross misconduct by constantly rendering waste collection services mainly in Kempton Park unworkable.
It is alleged that on Saturday the workers went on rampage harassing, assaulting and intimidating a crew that was doing round collections. In that incident a truck driver and an operator were doused with petrol but managed to escape uninjured before their truck was set alight. Other incidents of lawless implicating the dismissed employees include:- Using municipal trucks to prevent vehicles that are used for litter pickers and transfer station employees, from exiting the depot thus disrupting service delivery.
- Four (4) trucks belonging to service providers were turned away and they could not render the service to the public; and
- Last Tuesday municipal employees left their work station to intimidate and harass private contractors who were busy with refuse removal rounds in another area.
The additional nine employees were notified of their dismissal late Teusday.
The City views this conduct as constituting exceptional circumstances as envisaged in Schedule 8 (4), subsection 4 of the Labour Relations Act, whereby pre-dismissal procedures may be dispensed with. The City views the appalling conduct of these employees as rendering their continued employment intolerable. The conduct of these employees is clearly endangering the lives and safety of people in the municipality as well as service providers, and there is a high propensity for the continuation of damages to the property of the municipality and service providers should these persons continue in the service of the municipality. The City will implement an operational plan for clearing of waste collection backlog and continued rendering of the services in a safe environment for its waste collection workers.
