#Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality Nightmare

SOUTH African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) members will be marching and submitting a list of grievances to meyor Julia 'COPE' Mathebe about the exploitation of workers in Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality. Bolsheviks Party of South Africa will rally behind SAMWU on the 04th, who want municipalities to permanently employ contract workers and improve working conditions. Mogotji states that some workers get paid R2490 a month for performing work worth R7000 a month, protective clothing is not issued on time and there is no proper promotions policy in place. Bolsheviks terms this “modern day slavery”. The contract workers are part of the government’s expanded public works programme (EPWP) aimed at providing income relief for the unemployed. The programme was started in 2004 with goals of sustainable growth and economic development not to turn people in ANC slaves. Addressing Branches in Kgobokwane in Ward 3 BPSA’s Mogotji Seun said municipal managers and Meyor should not allow their personal lives and their factions to interfere with the hiring of contract workers. “As the Bolsheviks Party of South we are starting to get tired of municipalities that do not want to listen to what the government is saying about contract workers. If their work is permanent, the contract workers must be permanent. “People cannot be contract workers for 15 years. Contract workers don’t even have pension fund or medical aid benefits. Contract workers cannot plan their lives beyond their six-month contracts. “Municipal managers should not let their anger towards their spouses affect the hiring processes and the permanent hiring of contract workers. We don’t want to know what goes on in their private lives,” said Mogotji. Mogotji “We elected these people to be placed in the senior positions and in return they are only feeding themselves. We are not stupid. What we want is very simple - workers should not be exploited. “The municipalities have adopted a new system of hiring interns to do the work because they do not want to advertise posts and hire people on a permanent basis. “Municipalities have adopted the habit of hiring interns so that they do more work for a fraction of the remuneration. After three months they get fresh interns or they hire their friends. “Some union shop stewards are being victimised for addressing such issues with management. “The municipalities should respond to SAMWU otherwise this smaller town will come to a standstill,” or we will boycott voter registration on 05 and 06 Of March.