By: Mnqobi Dludla

The Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) employees employed under the eThekwini Municipality joined forces with the People’s Revolutionary Movement (PRM) in a march outside the Durban City Hall on Friday.

Amongst their demands was the fact that an amount of 500 people were employed in 2011 but the remaining 150 are still not registered as permanent employees of the municipality.

According to Thulisiwe Mbatha, one of the EPWP employees, the municipality has not agreed to meet with them despite submitting a memorandum in June this year.

“We submitted a memorandum to the municipality to meet and discuss the way forward, until such time we have decided to demonstrate till the mayor opens the doors and speak to us,” said Mbatha.

Amongst other demands is changing the wage of R2 400 they have been receiving since they were employed.

“It is troubling that they will not register us as permanent while paying us R2400 which is also deducted by the Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) and the union fees. We can’t live on that,” she added.

Nhlanhla Buthelezi leader of the PRM voiced his concerns regarding the treatment of the EPWP employees by the municipality.

“The eThekwini Municipality are undermining the rights of the employees. We submitted the memorandum which had all our demands on the 2^nd of June 2015 but the Mayor did not want to speak to us,” said Buthelezi.

“We also applied and held a march but there was no response, what we have decided to do now is to close these doors until we are heard and the government must put pressure on the municipality to curb the problem of Co-operatives,” he added.

The march ended at 15pm with no signs of the municipal authorities to brief the EPWP employees.