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DA will not entertain ANC bully tactics

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The DA in Nelson Mandela Bay will not be bullied into taking illegal decisions by the ANC or its affiliates.

Today, municipal staff attempted to hold Council hostage to their demands at a Special Council meeting that was to be convened today to deal with, among other items, the election of ward committees and the salary increases for library and traffic staff.

These critical items require robust debate in Council, however due to the threat of yet another invasion of Council by union members and the inevitable financial implications of passing some items; the meeting was postponed by the chief Whip of Council.

The DA is vehemently opposed to the manner in which the ANC is attempting to steam roll irregular items such as the one on Ward Committees. We have declared our intent to go to court should they proceed with their intentions and we will continue to expose the ANC for its breach of the rules of Council and the rule of law.

The salary increases for traffic wardens and library staff have not been evaluated in line with the TASK job evaluation tool that seeks to normalize pay grades throughout the institution. The DA has been calling for the implementation of the TASK system for years and notes with concern that Nelson Mandela Bay is the only Metro in the country that is not using this system. Should the positions not be graded using the TASK system and the employees given their increases, this will set a precedent and see a flood of increased wage demands and a wave of labour unrest from other municipal staff. Our position is clear: implement the Task System so we can budget accordingly and pay our staff what they deserve.

There are factions within the ANC that have no interest in strengthening democracy and upholding the law. They use disgruntled workers to place pressure on Council to make decisions that will have dire financial implications for our Municipality and set a dangerous precedent for our democracy

The DA has formed a task team to investigate all illegal decisions taken by Council and we will submit a report to the Minister of Finances Task Team in the Metro. We call on the Minister to take further steps to ensure financial stability and for him to include the DA in their work. The issues raised by the Minister are the very same issues we have raised time and again and we will be able to provide unbiased insight and expertise to assist the team.

The DA stands ready to govern so that we can restore service delivery, financial stability, economic growth and job creation in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Cllr Leon De Villiers

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Port Elizabethan

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