A strike by the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) is set to continue after the City of Tshwane and the union failed to come to an agreement on Monday.

"I hope by tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon we would at least have a way forward," said Samwu Provincial Treasurer Edwin Rasuba.

He said the union and city officials had agreed to meet again on Tuesday to discuss outstanding issues.

There was disagreement about how to approach the talks and on the legality of the strike, but the parties had agreed to put these issues aside and focus on the union's demands, said Rasuba.

However, in a statement after Monday's meeting, member of the mayoral committee Gabriel Thwala, announced that the strike could effectively be over.

"The meeting agreed that a technical team be established to assist to resolve the strike," said Thwala.

"A technical team comprising of three members from each side has been set up."

He said three areas would be looked at: labour brokers, alternative service delivery, and how to develop a comprehensive proposal on the way forward.

"The team is expected to report back on Friday. The parties have also committed themselves to pursue the discussions in good faith."

Union members have been on strike since last week, demanding that the city halt its restructuring process, employ all its workers directly and stop investigations into outsourcing the bus service.

As a result services such as refuse collection and municipal bus transport have been severely disrupted. Garbage has been piling up with residents being left to dispose of their own refuse.

Also on Monday, six of the union's members who appeared in the Pretoria Magistrate's Court were released on a warning.

They appeared on charges of contempt of court after being arrested at the City of Tshwane's bus depot in Pretoria West on Sunday.

The municipality had obtained a court order prohibiting them from entering the bus depot.

On Sunday metro police, escorting workers and trucks cleaning the city, arrested the six who allegedly protested along with 50 others at the depot in defiance of the court order.

The six were released on the own cognisances and ordered to return to court on 26 May.

Samwu denied that the six were arrested at the depot saying they were arrested at a petrol station at night.

"They were not involved in doing anything related to the strike action whatsoever.

"They were simply targeted by the police who have become over-involved in the strike, as they have been doing for some years now in all strikes in South Africa," the union said.

The City said it obtained two court interdicts last Thursday, instructing striking workers to return to work.

The union denied this saying there was no City of Tshwane interdict against the current strike, and that one of the private companies operating in the city had applied for an interdict.

Sapa