By Barry Bateman

The rubbish removal strike turned violent on Friday when police opened fire on a group of workers hurling stones at refuse trucks.

The clash between police and the disgruntled municipal waste management contract workers erupted on the corner of Mitchell and Von Wielligh streets when the strikers launched an attack on trucks trying to leave the Pretoria West depot.

The Tshwane Metro Police and their SAPS colleagues anticipated the attack and were standing by at all four corners of the intersection.

The strikers scattered with most running west along Mitchell Street, with a nyala armoured vehicle hot on their heels. Police cornered several of the protesters in a parking lot as they tried to hide behind cars.

Stun grenades were used to root them out. They were then rounded up and forced into the nyala.

No one was arrested because police could not distinguish between strikers and innocent bystanders caught up in the commotion.

The trucks leaving the depot were the first signs of the disrupted refuse removal service returning to normal.

The SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) affiliated contract workers have been on strike since Monday. On Wednesday, the strike turned ugly when strikers attacked several trucks, injuring 14 drivers and their assistants.

A waste management manager who did not want to be named said that by today the service would be running at full steam with most trucks on the roads.

But don’t take out your dustbins just yet. The focus would be on priority areas like industrial zones, hospitals and clinics. The trucks will service residential areas from Monday after they have dealt with the backlog in the priority areas.

Milnex employees downed tools on Monday demanding they be absorbed into the council’s workforce, that contract work be done away with and that they receive better salaries.

Milnex is contracted by the council to undertake some refuse collection duties on behalf of the council.

Milnex owner Jaco Leicester said he was bound to pay his employees that which was stipulated in the tender awarded to his company by the council. “I am bound by the tender; the council determines what they earn.”

Council spokesperson Console Tleane said that they have been in negotiations since Thursday with Samwu on the grievances detailed in a memorandum handed to the council on August 8.

“While the matter involves staff of Milnex, some of whom are Samwu members, council is intervening because constitutionally the council is responsible for ensuring refuse collection services.”

A striking shop steward who did not want to be named said they would not return to work until the grievances raised in the memorandum had been addressed.

For now they would adhere to the court order and remain 500m from the depot, he said. “There is no strike here; we just want a response.”

Tleane said that the issue of contract workers had been brought before the mayoral committee and the council will give feedback on Monday.

“It was agreed during negotiations that the city will keep Samwu informed about the deliberations at the mayoral committee concerning contract workers.

“In order to alleviate the strain on refuse removal caused by the strike the city has put together contingency plans to ensure that, with or without the workers who embarked on strike, efforts will be made to resume cleaning,” he said.

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