Joburg court ruling clears the way for R10 billion worker agreement
The DA in the City of Johannesburg has not yet responded to the recent ruling by the High Court in Johannesburg, which paved the way for the municipality to implement its R10 billion Politically Facilitated Agreement (PFA) with municipal workers.
On Saturday, the Minority Parties coalition in the City Council welcomed the ruling by the High Court, which dismissed the DA’s application to interdict the R10 billion agreement.
This ruling, delivered by the High Court in Johannesburg, comes in the wake of the DA’s Mayoral candidate, Helen Zille, claiming the agreement was merely a political tactic aimed at settling scores.
The PFA, which originated in 2016, was only recently included in the city’s adjustment budget, with the DA arguing in court papers that the PFA was unlawful.
Zille further argued that the agreement could cripple service delivery across the city. However, the court deemed the application for an urgent interdict lacked the necessary urgency and it was struck off the court roll. Zille’s court bid precipitated a protest, which on Thursday, resulted in scores of employees affiliated to SAMWU demonstrating outside the court.
On Saturday, speaking on behalf of the Minority Governing Parties (MGP), Kabelo Gwamanda said the parties welcome the outcome of the court.
“This outcome affirms a fundamental principle: the long-standing commitment to address wage disparities among municipal workers cannot be undone through opportunistic litigation, particularly where those same commitments have been known, participated in, and even implemented over time by the very parties now seeking to reverse them,” the parties said.
Gwamanda, who is a former City Mayor and a leader of the Al Jama-ah political party, described the court ruling as a ‘victory’ for the workers, who are struggling to make ends meet amid a challenging economic environment due to the high cost of living.
“The PFA, rooted in a CCMA-facilitated agreement dating back to 2016, was designed to correct historical inequalities in remuneration across the City and its entities. For years, workers have carried the burden of uneven pay structures, despite performing similar functions under the same municipal umbrella. This ruling protects the integrity of that struggle,” he stated.
DA caucus leader in the city, Belinda Echeozonjoku, referred the matter to elections campaign manager, Kyle Jacobs. Jacobs did not respond to a request for comment.
“I am afraid I cannot comment on this matter, as only Kyle Jacobs and the team can comment. This is because the matter involves the team and our lawyers,” said Echeozonjoku.
