City bus strike set for tomorrow

YOU had better find another way into work tomorrow if you usually travel by bus.

Members of transport unions – SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), Transport and Allied Workers Union of SA (Tawusa), Transport and Omnibus Workers’ Union (Towu), National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) and Tirisano Transport Workers Union (Taswu) – are downing tools tomorrow.

The wage talks began in January at the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBC). The unions demanded a oneyear 12% across the board wage increase agreement along with a basic

minimum wage of R8 000.

“The agreed settlement was meant to be implemented on April 1 but instead the SARPBC issued unions with a certificate to strike on April 16,” Satawu spokesperson Zanele Sabela said.

The unions collectively represent 16 000 workers in the bus sector. Some of the buses that will be affected by the national strike are Buscor, Golden Arrow, Interstate Bus Lines, Putco Limited and Table Bay Area Rapid Transit.

A total of 62 bus services will be affected nationwide.

The unions are also demanding full pay for secondary drivers.

“Employers argue the dual driver is not on duty until he takes the wheel. This thinking is obviously flawed because the driver cannot be elsewhere or do anything else but be on the bus from the time the trip commences,” Sabela said.

“We will be having a last meeting to see whether we can resolve this issue or whether the strike will go ahead,” she said.

The two parties were also given a 30-day cooling-off period, which expired yesterday.

“If the strike action goes ahead, Golden Arrow will institute a company-wide lockout in order to ensure the safety of our passengers and staff for the duration of the strike,” Golden Arrow spokesperson Bronwen Dyke-Beyer said.

Dyke-Beyer added that in the event of a strike, weekly and monthly clip cards that are valid when the strike commences will be extended when service resumes.

The City of Cape Town has also informed commuters that the MyCiTi bus service will be suspended.

“We regret the inconvenience caused and the pressure it adds on commuters to make alternative travel arrangements.

“The strike will have a serious knock-on effect on all public transport and road-based traffic as more than 72 000 commuters make use of the MyCiTi service on any given weekday.

“Furthermore, we anticipate that the strike action will have a severe impact on Cape Town’s commuters who are already taking strain due to the challenges that Metrorail is experiencing with the Central Line,” the City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee member for transport and urban development Brett Herron said.

The City is expecting a significant increase in the number of vehicles on the city’s road network because the bus commuters will either use taxis or use their own private vehicles to get to work and back.

“Metrorail will monitor the situation closely to assess passenger volumes,” spokesperson Riana Scott said.