The 12-week strike of about 300 municipal workers in Lesedi, a small municipality about 60 km south of Johannesburg, South Africa, is over.
As reported earlier, CUPE supported the strikers, members of the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (SAMWU), who had been threatened with firing. They were doubly infuriated by a council that had allowed its managers to give themselves massive bonuses and raises.
When the strike ended on May 29, the workers remained unsatisfied with the new agreement giving them between 2.5 and five per cent wage increases.
The employer is trying to divide and conquer the union, reports SAMWU. One worker has been suspended for allegedly attempting to kill someone during the strike. The case is before the court.