The South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) salutes the Municipal and Allied Trade Union of South Africa (MATUSA) for securing a historic and transformative victory for 879 Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) workers in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, who have now been legally declared permanent employees under Section 198B (5) of the Labour Relations Act.
This decisive victory follows a protracted legal battle that began in October 2022 over the permanent employment status of these workers. After their dismissal in July 2024, the dispute expanded to include a claim for unfair dismissal, and both matters were consolidated into a single arbitration process. On 09 December 2025, the arbitrator ruled in favour of the workers, ordering their reinstatement and the payment of R190 million in back pay.
A HISTORIC DEFEAT OF PRECARIOUS WORK
This ruling represents a crushing blow to the abusive EPWP labour regime, which municipalities and government departments have for years used to institutionalise insecurity, deny workers benefits, suppress organising, and evade permanent employment obligations. For decades, EPWP has been exploited as a revolving door of cheap labour, workers doing permanent work under temporary contracts, without job security, benefits, or dignity. This judgment tears through that injustice and affirms what workers have always known: permanent work deserves permanent jobs.
A NATIONAL PRECEDENT WITH FAR-REACHING IMPLICATIONS
SAFTU emphasises that this ruling is not only a victory for 879 workers in eThekwini, but a national legal precedent that opens the door for hundreds of thousands of EPWP workers across South Africa to challenge their exploitation and demand permanent employment. With this ruling now on record, SAFTU and its affiliates will intensify the struggle for a national Labour Court declaration compelling the permanent absorption of all EPWP workers who perform ongoing, core municipal and public service functions.
IMPLEMENTATION MUST BE IMMEDIATE
SAFTU joins MATUSA in calling on the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to:
• Immediately implement the arbitration award
• Reinstate all affected workers without delay
• Process the full R190 million back pay
• Recognise the workers as permanent employees with full benefits
Any attempt to undermine, delay, review, or sabotage this award will be met with mass worker resistance.
SALUTE TO WORKER ORGANISING AND LEGAL RESISTANCE
SAFTU congratulates:
• The 879 EPWP workers for their courage, endurance, and discipline
• MATUSA for principled, militant, and strategic trade union leadership
• The legal team led by Mr Bongani Mgaga of Garlicke & Bousfield Inc. for their outstanding work in advancing workers’ rights.
This victory proves once again that when workers organise, persist, and fight back, they can defeat exploitation, regardless of how powerful the institution.
Forward to permanent jobs for all EPWP workers. Forward to decent work and an end to labour brokerage and precarious employment.
Issued on behalf of SAFTU General Secretary Zwelinzima Vavi.
For media inquiries, contact the National Spokesperson at:
Newton Masuku:
Media Officer
Asive Dyani
0719019564
