No Joburg buses will run, union warns
• Demawusa demands 18% pay hike
The Democratic Municipal Workers Union of SA, which has been on strike at Metrobus for a week, says no buses will operate in Johannesburg until management agrees to negotiate higher wages with its members.
The Democratic Municipal Workers Union of SA (Demawusa), which has been on strike at Metrobus for a week, says no buses will operate in the City of Johannesburg until management agrees to negotiate higher wages with its members.
But the bus company, which transports 12,000-16,000 passengers a day, says there is no way it will enter into a wage agreement with Demawusa as salary issues are discussed at the SA Local Government Bargaining Council (Salgbc).
Demawusa, an affiliate of the SA Federation of Trade Unions (Saftu), is not part of the bargaining council as it is a minority union at Metrobus due to a lower membership.
The bargaining council is a platform through which the SA Local Government Association (Salga), the body that represents 257 municipalities, and unions agree on wage increases and conditions of employment.
The majority of Metrobus commuters, who use weekly and monthly prepaid tickets, were left stranded by the industrial action and had to fork out more money as they were forced to use other modes of transport, such as minibus taxis and privately owned buses.
On Monday, Demawusa general secretary Stephen Faulkner said: “Without Metrobus responding to our demands, there will be no buses on the streets of Joburg. You are not going to get buses on Joburg streets by any other means other than sitting down with Demawusa and giving way to some of the demands.”
Demawusa is demanding a wage increase of 18%, well above the 3.2% inflation rate recorded in March and the 4.3% average the Reserve Bank expects for 2021.
The union is also demanding a daily allowance of R150 for all employees and a R15,000 Covid-19 allowance.
“We are in a serious battle, it’s tense,” said Faulkner.
“We are certain if management behaves in a mature way, we will meet them halfway. But they can’t bully, lie, spread falsehoods and treat workers as if they are children. This entity has been distracted ... from the work it should be doing by those who want to exploit it for various reasons. I’m talking here about corruption.”
There was “no shred of evidence” that Demawusa members were threatening nonstriking workers, he said.
The Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu), and the SA Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu), the biggest local government union representing about 160,000 workers and which is part of the bargaining council, are not part of the industrial action.
Metrobus spokesperson Goodwill Shiburi said it was “impossible” to resolve the Demawusa strike because “the bargaining council is where salaries are discussed”. Metrobus has 900 employees.
“The employees who are on strike represent about 1.4% of the workforce. So, we have a minority holding the majority to ransom, because they are threatening those who are reporting for duty,” said Shiburi.
“We are trying to put measures in place to ensure we resume operations in a safe manner. We are deliberating on interventions, including going to the labour court to interdict the strike or resuming operations and getting the major routes escorted by the Johannesburg Metro Police Department.”
Salga has called for financially distressed municipalities to cut wages in real terms and freeze other perks linked to wage hikes. The association has proposed a 2.8% wage increase for 2021/2022.
In July 2020, most municipalities started to implement a multiyear agreement that raised wages by 6.25% a year, a raise some had not budgeted for.
The Treasury has warned that the raise would compromise its fiscal framework and service delivery.
WITHOUT METROBUS RESPONDING TO OUR DEMANDS, THERE WILL BE NO BUSES ON THE STREETS OF JOBURG