A three-month strike by staff of the Ray Nkonyeni Municipality (RNM) in KwaZulu-Natal has come to an end.
Staff in the municipality returned to work on Saturday after an agreement was reached on January 26 between the leadership of both parties.
Municipal Manager Khetha Zulu said the offer was finally accepted by workers in the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) general meeting held on Friday.
According to Zulu, in terms of the signed agreement offer, the following was agreed upon in principle:
- Employees to be moved to Grade 5 and in this regard exemption to be lodged with the relevant authority as soon as possible.
- Employees to be paid four months compensation with two months paid at the end of February 2025, one month in December 2025 and the last month in March 2026.
- Further agreed for court processes to remain until the finalisation of the out of court agreement.
- There will be no interference with strike and post-strike management processes but each party’s role will be respected.
- Employees to go back to work on February 1, 2025, and all necessary processes to have an out of court agreement finalised to be attended to urgently.
“The municipality wishes to sincerely thank all stakeholders, in particular civil society, who were instrumental in ensuring that this impasse is resolved,” Zulu said.
The municipality apologised for the hardship caused by the strike action and appealed for cooperation to chart a better future for the community.
Councillor Leon Garbade, Democratic Alliance RNM chairperson, said the strike had disrupted essential municipal services, severely impacted the local community, and left residents without access to basic services.
“The DA is deeply concerned about the apparent indifference and failures of officials at local, provincial, and national levels to address the root causes of the strike and engage in meaningful dialogue with the workers,” Garbade said.
According to Garbade, residents had to bear the brunt of the service delivery breakdown, mismanagement, inefficiency, and the inability of the municipality to provide basic services.
“The labour unrest has brought services in the municipality to a grinding halt. This strike is a clear indication of the deteriorating state of local government under the current leadership, which has failed to address the legitimate concerns of workers and residents alike,” Garbade said.
Recently, the MEC for KwaZulu-Natal Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs, Rev Thulasizwe Buthelezi, issuing stern instructions and gave the RNM until January 31 to resolve its matters.