Cosatu backs Samwu’s demands for wage hikes

Johannesburg Mayor Kabelo Gwamanda.
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JOHANNESBURG – Cosatu has rallied behind its affiliate Samwu as it demands pay hikes for municipal workers.
Samwu is back at the bargaining council for the final round of negotiations this week.
Cosatu has called on the SA Local Government Association and Treasury to stop undermining collective bargaining.
That’s as SALGA and Treasury attempted to exclude municipalities who are financially distressed from the collective agreement.
READ: Cost-of-living crisis | Inflation continues to eat away at disposable income
Cosatu says it’s ‘aghast’ by Treasury’s recommended increments of between 3 and 6 percent, especially because the cost-of-living has soared.
According to Statistics SA, prices of basics such as bread, maize meal, oil, meat and utilities edged up in June. 
Meanwhile, the South African Reserve Bank kept the repo rate steady in July, leaving workers no room to manoeuvre.