Bus unions to ‘strategise’ on wage offer today

BUS unions are meeting to strategise today after they were given until Wednesday to accept the current offer of a 9% increase for 11 months or revert to the original offer of 8%.

SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) spokesperson Zanela Sabela said yesterday that despite the intervention of Transport Minister Blade Nzimande and Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant, an agreement had not been reached.

She said following a meeting on Thursday, employers had given the unions an ultimatum.

“Employers (are offering a) 9% increase for 11 months for the first year and 8% for the second year, but they say they will revert back to 8% for the first year and 8.5% for the second year if we don’t accept the offer by Wednesday.”

Sabela said no negotiation sessions had been planned, but the unions would use the day to brainstorm on a way forward.

The national bus strike is heading into its second week, following a three-month-old deadlock in negotiations. Sabela said the strike was on a no work, no pay basis.

Meanwhile, the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council yesterday issued a statement on behalf of the SA Bus Employers’ Association and the Commuter Bus Employers’ Organisation, confirming their acceptance of the CCMA’s proposal of a two-year agreement with an 8% increase in 2018 and an 8.5% increase in 2019.

They said the increases are across the board on the basic wages of existing employees, as well as industry minimum wages and all applicable allowances.

Spokesperson John Dammert said the mediators’ proposal was 5% above the current level of Consumer Price Index inflation, which stood at 3.8% last month.

“(Bargaining council) employees have over the last 10 years received average annual increases of 9%, which have consistently been above funding allocated by the Treasury and far higher than inflation,” he said.

He said these increases had happened despite a threefold increase in the price of diesel.

The result of this is that one bus company is in the process of retrenching 350 employees, while a state-owned bus company has applied for a bailout in order to meet its April salary obligations and a Pretoria-based company has had to suspend services due to inadequate cash flow.

“With constrained subsidy support, the passenger will bear the brunt of the exorbitant salary increases… Our passengers come from low-income communities and on average earn salaries which are three times less than that which drivers are demanding.

“It is really unfair they have to bear the brunt of the inconvenience of the strike and the spectre of raised fares,” said Dammert.