THE SA Communist Party has called for a freeze on salary increases for municipal managers.

Gauteng SACP chairman Joe Mpisi urged Gauteng municipal workers attending the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) congress in Randburg to fight for a living wage.

"We are concerned about this issue of municipal managers who are getting more increases than workers. I am told that they are going to get up to 24% [increase].

" I have realised that not all of us understand the reality that we are facing as a union. The lowest paid member of Samwu is earning about R3,000."

The call for a salary freeze was yesterday backed by Nehawu.

"We are also extremely angered by the reports of municipal managers, especially those in Gauteng, being paid exorbitant salaries while ordinary workers are paid a pittance and townships are burning in demand of improved service delivery," said Nehawu spokesman Sizwe Pamla.

He said Tshwane city manager Jason Ngobeni and his Johannesburg counterpart Trevor Fowler were expected to have their salaries adjusted by as much as 20% this year.

He questioned the wisdom of such adjustments while these municipalities were putting out fires "left, right and centre" from citizens fighting poor service delivery.

"It is morally and logically erroneous to pay these two technocrats R3.25-million and R3.23-million a year respectively when they have not done anything extraordinary."

Ironically, the demand for transparency on financial matters was also placed at Samwu's door. The start of the congress was delayed when delegates demanded that the financial report of the previous congress be presented before the agenda could be adopted.