Our Viewpoint | Msunduzi strike action
"South Africa’s democracy guarantees both the right to strike and the right of citizens to move freely and live in a safe environment."
The protected strike by Msunduzi Municipality waste management workers over their salary grading dispute brings into focus the balance between the rights of workers and the rights of the broader public.
While employees are fully entitled to withhold their labour in pursuit of fair remuneration, they cannot do so in a manner that punishes the very communities they are meant to serve.
The workers’ demand to be upgraded from the T3 to the T5 salary grade appears to stem from a long-standing grievance that management has failed to address.
There cannot be any dispute that the right to strike is protected by South Africa’s Constitution and remains one of the most important tools available to organised labour advancing legitimate causes.
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However, constitutional rights do not exist in isolation: they must be exercised in a manner that safeguards the rights of others.
Reports that striking workers emptied refuse onto city streets, blocked roads with garbage and tree branches, and created hazardous conditions for motorists and pedestrians cross the line from legitimate protest into conduct that unfairly impacts citizens.
That the action resulted directly or indirectly in the disruption of water and electricity is an issue that must be investigated fully. Given that ordinary citizens have no role in determining municipal salary structures, it is unfair to make them bear the brunt of disruptive action.
Equally, businesses — which have nothing to do with the strike — should not be disrupted. By their very nature, strikes such as this one are designed to place pressure on the employer.
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Whether intended or not, however, the action has become an inconvenience to communities and businesses already grappling with poor service delivery and economic hardship.
Strikers should realise that protest action is most effective when it wins public sympathy rather than alienating the very people whose support can strengthen their cause.
While unions have every right to withdraw their members’ labour, they have an obligation to ensure that protest action remains disciplined and within the boundaries of the law.
South Africa’s democracy guarantees both the right to strike and the right of citizens to move freely and live in a safe environment. Neither right should override the other.
