The South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) in the Chris Hani region has called for the district, which has been declared a hotspot, to be placed on level 5 to guarantee the health and safety of residents.
According to a statement issued by Samwu regional secretary Asamkele Ntaka, the call for intervention comes after two municipal employees from the same department had tested positive for Covid-19 within a space of two weeks.“It is to be noted that after the first case at the municipality, the employer promised to fumigate the building, but with the second confirmed case, we are disinclined to believe that the thorough fumigation was done. We have also noted with great concern that Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) has been preoccupied with filling vacant positions instead of putting all their energies towards guaranteeing the health and safety of workers in line with the department of employment and labour and with the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
“We further call on the provincial government to intervene in the municipality in the interest of public health.”
The union stated that CHDM had failed to comply with level 4 regulations and demanded that the municipality cease plans to fill vacancies until a risk analysis was in place. “The rush to fill these vacancies when it is not safe to do so leads one to conclude that there is something that management seeks to hide or that political debts need to be paid through these vacancies as is always the case in municipalities. We openly welcome decisions by municipalities to fill vacancies, which are at an alarmingly high rate.
“We are, however, concerned this time that instead of ensuring that the workplace is safe for workers, the CHDM is now working on bringing more workers to the workplace. We are not in a position to negotiate the health and safety of municipal workers, including prospective employees. We therefore, in the interest of the health and safety of municipal workers and that of their families, urge municipal workers to refuse to work if there is no adequate PPE provided for them.”
CHDM spokesperson Thobeka Mqamelo said the statements made by the union were “unjust and equate to uncalled for pronouncements that only champion distraction and erasure of what the municipality has actually undertaken to ensure safety of the workers.”
She said CHDM committed to the safety and wellness of employees and that safety protocols were in place to mitigate the spread of the virus.
Mqamelo added that these safety protocols included daily symptom screening of all employees and the deep cleaning and disinfecting of office buildings which commenced in May. “All entry points to buildings are provided with sanitisers for all who access our buildings, including staff. All municipal vehicles are provided with sanitisers for drivers and passenger utilisation. Protective equipment such as face masks (reusable) and gloves were provided to all essential and critical services employees in level 4 and will be provided to all staff as they return to work.
” Our employee wellness office is ready to provide support where this is necessary, be it psychological or spiritual. The institution has already appointed and trained Covid-19 compliance officers. Risk assessment of the workplace has been conducted and a return to work plan has been developed which the institution is currently engaging on as part of its internal processes.”
Mqamelo said CHDM had the responsibility to ensure uninterrupted provision of services during this period. “Recruitment processes for critical posts had to be prioritised, particularly those that have a bearing on service delivery, more so when delivery of basic service to the community continues irrespective of the prevailing circumstances. Subsequent to the second case of corona virus in the budget and treasury office, the prescriptions and protocols as suggested by the department of health were all followed.
“The employees who were in direct contact with the affected employee were also referred for testing. The budget and treasury office (finance) buildings had to be disinfected and sanitised yet again, as a precautionary measure,” she said.
