Samwu wants more Tshwane VIP protectors to be millionaires

Currently 63 mobile protection officers are paid a monthly allowance in lieu of overtime; this could more than double if it is extended to other protection teams. Picture: Michel Bega The number of Tshwane VIP protectors who are paid more than R1 million a year may double if the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) gets its way. Samwu has declared a dispute with the metro over a R35 000 monthly allowance that was approved by council in August last year in lieu of overtime, and unilaterally implemented thereafter.

The VIP protectors are members of the Tshwane Metro Police. Currently only the mobile protectors qualify for the allowance; it excludes the teams that are office-bound and the advance teams who do risk assessments whenever the mayor and other top brass of the metro attend to events outside the offices. According to Donald Monakhisi, Samwu secretary in the Tshwane region, extending it to these teams could more than double the number of members who qualify for the allowance, from the current 63.

Samwu has referred the matter to the Local Government Bargaining Council and is waiting for feedback on the next steps. Fellow municipal union Imatu has also declared a dispute with the employer about the allowance. It argues that the real problem is the extremely long hours that members work and that the allowance does not address this issue.

[paywall]

Its dispute concerns the fact that the council implemented the allowance unilaterally despite objections from the unions. The Imatu matter has been referred to arbitration. If Imatu succeeds, the issue will be remitted to the local labour forum.

[/paywall]