The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has raised concerns over unpaid salaries
Image: File
The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU) has raised concerns over unpaid salaries at several municipalities after National Treasury withheld equitable share funding.
Earlier this month, the exercise was aimed at instilling fiscal discipline and ensuring that public money is properly managed, that unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure (UIFWE) is addressed and that municipal officials and office-bearers are held accountable where required by law.
SAMWU, however, says the decision has had a direct impact on workers, with some municipalities struggling to pay salaries.
"Today was supposed to be a day on which municipal workers received not only their salaries, but also their scheduled salary increases. Instead, thousands of workers have been left without their salaries and without the increases that were due to improve their already strained household incomes," the union said.
"Workers had planned their lives and financial commitments around receiving these salaries and increases. They now face the double injustice of being denied both the wages they have already earned and the salary adjustments to which they were entitled".
The union said that several municipalities have been affected by salary delays, with workers in some areas still waiting to receive their wages.
SAMWU warned that the situation could worsen if the funding challenges are not resolved.
"The equitable share is not a favour or a discretionary gift from National Treasury. It is a constitutionally recognised allocation intended to enable municipalities to fulfil their developmental and service-delivery obligations.
"Municipalities cannot be deprived of these resources and still be expected to operate as though nothing has happened. Behind every unpaid salary is a worker and a family being pushed deeper into poverty".
The union has also demanded the "immediate release of all outstanding equitable share allocations to affected municipalities".
"Municipal workers are not expendable. Their children are no less deserving of food, education, warmth and dignity than the children of ministers and senior government officials."
IOL Business