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AMANZI BARGAINING COUNCIL TO BE LAUNCHED TODAY |
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AMANZI BARGAINING COUNCIL TO BE LAUNCHED TODAY
SAMWU PRESS STATEMENT
17 June 2010.
The constitution of the Amanzi Bargaining Council will be signed today launching a bargaining council for the water board sector. The sector covers 6000 workers in the strategically important provision of potable water for South Africa’s population. Big water boards like Rand Water and Umgeni Water will be brought together with smaller water boards like Overberg in the southern Cape and Namakwa in the arid Northern Cape.
SAMWU is the majority union in the sector and have been driving the establishment of this Bargaining Council. We first established a statutory council in 2002, forcing smaller unions like Nehawu and UASA and the employers’ organisation, SAAWU, to engage with SAMWU in a national forum. Through a patient process of winning SAAWU over, including a threatened strike in 2009, all matters have been resolved now.
The signing will take place today (17 Jun. 10) at the Tokiso offices in Auckland Park.
In the meantime, the parties are engaged in centralised bargaining for the sector. The parties are meeting today in the third round of negotiations. SAAWU has made an offer ranging from 9% for the highest paid to 10% for the lowest paid. The unions have rejected this and are demanding 10% for the lowest paid and 15% for the highest paid. Today’s negotiations are the last scheduled round. Should agreement not be reached today, the parties will be in dispute and conciliation will follow.
For more information contact Dale Forbes (Collective Bargaining Officer) on 084 299 6567.
Issued by;
Tahir Sema.
South African Municipal Workers' Union of COSATU.
National Spokesperson.
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Office: 011-331 0333.
Cell: 0829403403.
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Worker's News April 2008 PART 1 (514)
