Cogta-led task team finalises review of eThekwini’s salary benchmarks, addressing employee concerns and wage gaps across metro levels. Report with recommendations imminent. | Doctor Ngcobo/ Independent Newspapers
Durban — The task team led by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) established to lead the Salary Pay Curve and Benchmark for Task 1 to Task 23 levels with other metros is currently consolidating and preparing a report with recommendations.
This follows significant concerns raised by eThekwini municipal employees regarding their remuneration compared to other metros earlier this year.
In a statement eThekwini revealed that the urgent need for intervention was recognised by the Cogta Minister, prompting a dialogue aimed at formulating strategies to effectively resolve these wage gaps.
The establishment of a focused task team, led by Cogta, marks a pivotal step in addressing issues related to the Salary Pay Curve and Benchmark for employee tiers ranging from Task 1 to Task 23, the city said.
The Chairperson of the Task Team, Tebogo Motlashuping, highlighted the group’s “unwavering” commitment to addressing the concerns raised by employees.
“The task team has been hard at work since April collaborating with the City to bring back stability and restore service delivery,” he said.
On September 10, the Parliament published on their website that the Chairperson of the Select Committee on Cooperative Governance and Public Administration (Traditional Affairs, Human Settlements and Water & Sanitation), Mxolisi Kaunda, welcomed the fact that in terms of the agreement, employees earning R22 000 per month or less who do not receive any form of housing allowance will benefit from a once-off payment of R2 000 in the first year of the agreement.
“Over the past months, the task team, consisting of city management, labour representatives, and Cogta members, embarked on a meticulous benchmarking exercise with four selected metros. During these visits, they evaluated performance and salary scales, which provided them with invaluable insights into the dynamics of employee remuneration in the public sector.
“The exercise was quite a good learning experience for all participants, which we believe will assist to pave the way forward and yield desired outcomes,” Motlashuping said.
The Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (IMATU) held negotiations in August in terms of a 3-round time-table.
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