Pretoria - Rand Water and its employee-affiliated trade unions have successfully concluded the 2015/16 wage negotiation process, it said on Monday.
“The negotiation process was robust and dynamic; however the process was concluded in good faith. Throughout the process Rand Water continued to provide high quality potable water to all its customers,” said the utility.
Earlier this month, Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane appealed to Rand Water and the unions to work towards an amicable solution to resolve their differences.
This as the South African Municipal Workers' Union (SAMWU), which is the majority union at Rand Water, demanded a 10 percent increase for lowest paid workers, nine percent for middle income workers and eight percent for supervisors.
The union also demanded a 12 percent incentive bonus and R2 150 housing allowance across the board. Rand Water offered a six percent wage increase.
“On behalf of the Board and Executive Management, the Chief Executive of Rand Water would like to thank all the stakeholders for a resolution that enables Rand Water to continue to pursue its mandate of bulk water services provision,” said Rand Water on Monday.
Meanwhile, Minister Mokonyane on Monday commended the board and management of Rand Water and the leadership and negotiators of SAMWU for successfully concluding wage negotiations and averting what seemed as an imminent strike.
The Minister, who is attending the World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden, also appreciated the fact that the utility and SAMWU utilised and exhausted the available legal platforms to ensure that an agreement was reached.
“This is an affirmation that the legal and policy frameworks in place in our country are sound and indeed competent to ensure that labour relations disputes may be resolved amicably through negotiations with minimal disruption to both parties and stakeholders,” she said.
Minister Mokonyane reassured the public that Rand Water maintains elaborate contingency plans to at all times ensure minimal disruptions to water supply in situations such as strikes. – SAnews.gov.za
