Johannesburg - Dozens of employees who worked under the multi-party government administration in the City of Johannesburg will forfeit a three-month salary package they had been promised by the DA-led management.
The employees were all on fixed-term political contracts.
The Star understands that they had been promised three months’ salaries when the former mayor, Mpho Phalatse, leaves office and the multi-party government is removed from office.
While it was procedural for the workers to receive some remuneration after the political principals were removed from office, The Star understands that regulations had changed and this was no longer the case.
The employees would receive a letter explaining to them that they would no longer be getting the three-month packages they were promised.
Fixed-term contract salaries are typically a little higher and more lucrative.
The Star has seen a letter from the acting city manager, Floyd Brink, indicating that he was uncertain about the decision to make these payments.
The payments would be frozen pending the outcome of legal proceedings, according to the letter.
“Section 55 (1) and Section 66 (1) of the Municipal Systems Act require that the City Manager can only take and implement decisions that are authorised by a policy directive and or policy framework approved by the Municipal Council.
“As matters stand, it does not appear that the above-mentioned decision was duly authorised. In terms of Regulation 21(b) and Section 22 of the Municipal Regulations, there is no provision made to take and/or implement the decision in question, and as a result, it does not appear that the said decision can be within the provisions of the said regulations,” the letter says.
Mike Moriarty, the former chief of staff of the DA and Phalatse, said the workers under the multi-party government had not received any formal letters concerning the gratuity.
Moriarty said they had been informed in their termination letters that they would be receiving three months’ gratuity from the municipality.
“We are hearing rumours in the corridors, but we do not have anything formal yet,” he said.
Moriarty said it should be understood that the gratuity was also meant to attract a skilled work force to the politicians’ office with the knowledge that when the political leadership left office, there would be some sort of benefit.
He said the 130 workers whose contracts were terminated by the multi-party government had received six months’ gratuity while they were expecting to receive only three months.
He said the latest batch of workers would receive three months because the acting city manager, Bryne Maduka, had the view that a six-month period was too excessive.
An affected worker who asked not to be named told The Star that he was shocked at the news that they would not be receiving the three months gratuity.
“The big guys at the top are not the ones that get affected, but it is the small guys like us who have families and depend on one salary,” he said.
The office of the city manager said it would not comment on the matter at this stage.
The Star