EThekwini Municipality agrees to salary increases for workers

THE city reached an agreement with labour unions to increase eThekwini Municipality workers salaries

- THAMI MAGUBANE

The South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU) in eThekwini has announced a landmark settlement agreement on benchmarking, following sustained union advocacy to address pay parity, among other issues. The agreement means that workers will now be paid the same as their counterparts in other metros across the country.

The agreement will cost the municipality an additional R500 million a year. To counter that expense, the city is proposing to reduce overtime and introduce a shift system.

The union and the municipality had been locked in a prolonged dispute over pay disparities. Workers had previously complained that they were being paid significantly less than their counterparts in other metros.