History of the South African
Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU)

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The working-class history of South Africa in general

Winnie Madikizela-Mandela to speak at SAMWU Womens' Conference tomorrow

SAMWU Statement, 23 September 1999. The conference is the culmination of two years of intensive surveying of womens' needs in local government by SAMWU Womens' Committees, which have been established from branch to national level. The surveys will form the basis for the launch of a SAMWU Womens' Charter at the conference.

Union declares deadlock with Johannesburg Council over Igoli 2002!

SAMWU Press Statement, 5 October 1999. The South African Municipal Workers' Union forced to declare a dispute with the Greater Johannesburg Council after months of negotiations around the Igoli 2002 restructuring plan failed. This means the parties will now have to enter into a conciliation process to see if the deadlock can be broken, and failing that, the union's 25 thousand Johannesburg members will either embark on industrial action or the union will take the matter up in arbitration.

IGOLI 2002 Dispute - Conciliation stalls this morning!

SAMWU Statement, 28 October 1999. The dispute was declared almost one month ago on the grounds that the Igoli 2002 amounted to unilateral restructuring without consultation and that council was implementing the plan while still it was still under negotiation. Progress was made when labour and Council agreed on two people as independent mediators and mediation will start in 14 days.

SAMWU Biwater campaign targets Dutch firm NUON

SAWU press statement, 27 March 2000. Report back from the World Water Forum in the Hague last week, which was a 130 governments-big business-World Bank sponsored conference where NGOs and labor were sidelined. NUON's 50% investment in Biwater was a hotly contested privatisation which eventually went ahead in October 1999 under protest from the unions.

Wages settled!

SAMWU Press Statement, Friday May 12th, 2000. National wage negotiations in the municipal sector, covering 240 thousand municipal workers, were settled. The South African Municipal Workers Union and the SA Local Government Association agreed on a wage increase.

Waterboards wage negotiations stall

SAMWU Statement, 19 May 2000. SAMWU's wage negotiations for workers in waterboards have stalled. At the Rand Water Board, which provides bulk water services to Gauteng and parts of the North West and Mpumalanga, management indicated that it was not prepared to respond to many of the demands placed on the table, even though SAMWU had reduced the wage demand to 12.1% from 15% for support staff.

Moratorium placed on iGoli 2002

Sapa, 28 june 2000. Over 10,000 workers attended a rally to celebrate a moratorium on the implementation of all Igoli 2002 plans. Samwu and the Independent Municipal and Allied Union (Imatu) staged a sit-in in protest against the privatisation and restructuring plan.

SAMWU on events in Johannesburg

SAMWU Press Statement, 3 July 2000. The South African Municipal Workers Union and Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union will be returning to the Johannesburg Metro Division of the Bargaining Council this Wednesday July 5th, 2000. The Bargaining Council will reconvene to chart a way forward after last week's Special Plenary deadlocked. An end to commercialisation of Johannesburg's assets would mean that various lucrative positions would no longer be available, and therefore the moratorium does not suit the personal interests of officials.

Workers demonstrate against the iGoli 2002 plan

SABC News, 3 July 2000. Johannesburg Municipal workers took to the streets to protest against the city's iGoli 2002 privatisation plan, after decision by the city's council to go ahead with the first phase of its implementation plan which will result in four of the council's assets being taken over by private companies, despite an agreement reached last week between workers and the council to put the process on hold.

iGoli 2002 strike hangs in the balance

By Elliot Sylvester, Saturday Star, 7 July 2000. Samwu president Petrus Mashishi said Tuesday's proposed strike action depends on how the council responds to its restructuring demands. After disruptive union demonstrations against corporatisation and retrenchments, the council now appears committed to finding amicable solutions.