Weeks-long municipal strike in Rustenburg comes to an end
The South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) said it had reached an agreement with Rustenburg Municipality to end a three-week-long strike.
Earlier this month, workers downed tools over issues around the grading of jobs.
In 2010, the municipality was upgraded to Grade 7 Category B.
However, the union says workers remained at Grade 5, while councillors were at Grade 6 and the municipal manager and the directors at Grade 7.
Samwu demanded that the municipality pay outstanding salaries from 2010.
"A breakthrough was achieved on 22nd May after a full council meeting, resulting in parties entering into a settlement agreement," said the union’s North West provincial secretary, Vincent Diphoko.
"A key aspect of this agreement is the reclassification of Rustenburg to Category 6, effective from 1st July 2024. This will result in changes to resource allocation, employee benefits, and overall operations, bringing them into alignment with similar municipalities.
"The agreement also establishes a working task team to oversee implementation and benchmark Rustenburg against Category 7 municipalities."
Diphoko said the agreement was a victory for the workers.
"The successful negotiation serves as a reminder of the importance of trade unions in advocating for workers' rights and improving working conditions.
"Samwu views this victory as a win for Rustenburg workers and a testament to the enduring strength of the South African trade union movement," he added.
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