Transport strike still on over wage agreement
THE bus strike affecting workers of the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) was expected to continue today with striking workers and their employers deadlocked on a wage agreement.
The strike has affected passengers of private bus operators in the Durban area – including Metro Bus Services, KZT Transport, Olympic Service, People Mover, and other operations.
Union spokesman Vincent Masoga said the union, employers and the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration (CCMA) would meet today, but said the strike would continue while the stakeholders were locked in negotiations.
He said no marches were planned in Durban. Workers are demanding an 18 percent wage increase, and allowances for housing, night shift, and long-distance journeys.
Masoga said workers needed a substantial increase to offset rising food and housing costs.
eThekwini Municipality spokesman, Thabo Mofokeng, speaking on behalf of the Durban Transport bus fleet, said the operation was back to normal yesterday after a disrupted schedule on Monday which he attributed to some drivers being intimidated by strikers.
“Yesterday morning the operation was back to normal, but there were interruptions on Monday,” he said.
He said the People Mover operation was affected, because it was run by a private operator. The Durban Transport buses would continue to operate, he said.
Zet Luzipho, the provincial secretary of trade union Cosatu, said the union would throw its weight behind Satawu. “We will continue to support Satawu, and we are confident that a solution will be found,” he said.
Asked about the thousands of workers who will be affected by the strike, he said employers should be understanding be- cause a bus strike would naturally cause an inconvenience.
Meanwhile, the National General Workers Union has also called for employers to be understanding with workers during the strike.
A union official in Inanda, Jabulani Buthelezi, said he was receiving calls from members that they were being threatened with warnings for arriving late at work.
“In Inanda people have to be at the taxi rank at 4am to arrive at work at 8am because there are not enough taxis to service all these people,” he said.
“There is no train here, so workers normally use the Metro and KZT buses which are crucial to these communities. Because of the strike these are not operating,” he said.
Commuter Bus Employers’ Organisation spokesman, Barry Gie, said employers and unions would meet at the CCMA today in an attempt to break the deadlock.
Gie said the industry was facing a number of pressures, including reduced productivity and escalating fuel costs.
These factors would make it difficult for them to increase their present offer of 6.5 percent. – Additional reporting by Sapa