Buffalo City Municipality on Thursday, reached a deal with striking workers after three weeks of an impasse.
The agreement would re-evaluate the salaries into the levels of other metropolitan municipalities across the country.
Workers embarked on industrial action demanding the implementation of the job evaluation agreement that was reached in 2016 as well as back pay. The strike drove the city on its knees as it became unable to render services such as rubbish collection, cleaning the streets, unable to fix burst pipes resulting in sewerage in the streets. Even mortuaries were affected as workers were not available to dig graves in order for funerals to take place.
The strike also affected residents of Mdantsane and King Williams Town.
The striking workers targeted water and electricity infrastructure and that affected the supply in certain areas, a claim they have been denying, blaming criminal elements.
Earlier this week, trade union, South African Municipality Workers Union demanded R100,000 once-off compensation per employee from the municipality for delaying the implementation of job evaluation agreement. This could have seen BCM spending R530-million.
After negotiations, a deal of a R10,000 bonus per employee was reached.
The metro has also agreed to pay a bonus on the second salary of BCM employees. The second salary was introduced as a temporary measure before the finalisation of job evaluation agreement.
Buffalo City Mayor Xola Pakati said the city will resume services from this weekend.
He said they would work overtime to address all issues.
- African News Agency (ANA)
