Johannesburg - The two-day protest action by Pikitup on Thursday and Friday, which saw the city's pavements and streets buried in rubbish, appears to be off.
Some workers returned to the depots at the weekend, but most of the refuse was collected by independent sub-contractors.
Pikitup managing director Amanda Nair said she was not sure whether the strike would be continuing on Monday.
She said she drove to some of the depots on Sunday morning and there were people waiting to go to work.
Indications were that the workers would return to work by Monday, “but if they don’t, we have contingency plans in place”, Nair said.
The SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) has called a media conference later on Monday to discuss updates on issues they have with Pikitup management and laying theft charges against Nair.
In June last year, Nair was arrested for alleged theft of the company’s official cellphones, valued at R33 000 which were irregularly issued to her and her children.
She was arrested with Donovan Denyssen, who was working in the IT department, when he allegedly gave the cellphones to Nair and a close relative, without following the proper procedures.
The charges were later dropped.
Other grievances, Samwu says, include the lack of conversion of fixed-term contracts into permanent work and advertising of senior management jobs instead of offering them to internal staff.
They also want the theft charges against Nair to be reinstated and for her to resign with immediate effect.
Union members were unavailable for comment on Sunday, but Samwu provincial spokesman Paul Tlhabang told the Saturday Star that workers had returned to work on Saturday, resuming their normal shifts.
He said last week’s marches were “protest actions” and not an unprotected strike.
It was protest action in support of their shop stewards who were facing disciplinary hearings.
Last week, Pikitup heard submissions from witnesses.
The union would be calling its witnesses on February 15.
Visit www.pikitup.co.za, @CleanerJoburg on Twitter or call 011 375 5555 for the refuse-collection schedule in your neighbourhood.
The Star