​Following a 9-hour marathon meeting chaired by Premier of KwaZulu-Natal Mr Willies Mchunu, Organised Labour and the UGU District Municipality have finally agreed to end their dispute which for the past two weeks had virtually stopped water supply in the district.According to the ground-breaking interim agreement which was signed at 2am this morning, workers will return to work with immediate effect and the water supply opened to the great relief of residents and businesses in the area.Furthermore, management of the municipality and workers under the South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU) agreed that the law must take its course in finding those responsible for vandalising and interfering with the water infrastructure.Since 28 May 2018 the district has been hit by major water supply interruptions linked to the destruction of infrastructure across the local municipalities of Ray Nkonyeni, Umzumbe, Umuziwabantu and Umdoni.MEC for Public Works Ravi Pillay said the labour dispute had reached “crisis proportions” and was threatening to cost the district dearly in job-creation, especially those linked to tourism. In the medium term the dispute would lead to the reversal of economic growth and the flight of international investment from the district.SAMWU has undertaken to ensure workers are at their posts today and the union will also use the beginning of the day to inform their members about the agreement.While reinforcing the “no work no pay rule”, the agreement subjects all outstanding issues in the current dispute to the process of facilitation that is led by the Office of the Premier.The parties have agreed to finalise all outstanding issues by 31July 2018, but in the meantime remain free to exercise all their rights as employers and employee as provided by the country’s legal framework. The facilitation team will submit regular reports to the Premier and who will provide oversight over the dispute resolution process.Provincial Secretary of SAMWU Jaycee Ncanana said the workers were pleased with the role the Office of the Premier had played in resolving the matter. “We hope that when the agreement is being rolled out it will also address the concerns raised by parties in the dispute,” said Jaycee Ncanana.UGU Mayor Councillor Mondli Chiliza said the district municipality was pleased that there was “light at the end of the tunnel” and called for greater respect from both sides in future engagements.The Premier emphasized the importance of opening the taps: “The first consideration is that the water must start flowing as soon as possible. Above all else, this is what has brought us here, to see that this basic right to water is provided to the people of this District.”The Premier wishes to express his sincere gratitude to the community stakeholders who attended a meeting earlier on Thursday at the Ugu Sports and Leisure Centre.In particular, the Premier would like to make a special mention of Amakhosi, Izinduna, Religious Leaders, Civic bodies, Ratepayers’ Organisations and Business Associations for their valuable and pointed contributions to the process.“The stakeholder meeting provided a very critical foundation for the success of the negotiations with the Municipality and Organised Labour which we have just finished in the early hours of the morning,” said Premier Mchunu.END.