EWN reports that unions involved in the bus strike say it’s important that employers negotiate in good faith until a complete resolution to the drivers’ strike is found.
On Friday, unions announced that the strike would continue until a solution was reached regarding the back-pay of employees for the month of April when the strike began. The wage increase on offer is apparently acceptable to the unions, namely a 9% pay rise for the first year and 8% for the second year of a two-year deal. Other issues relating to the payment of night shift allowance, dual drivers and insourcing have been handed to a task team. Speaking on Friday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA’s (Numsa’s) Irvin Jim said that so far it has been difficult to negotiate with employers because they “don’t care because it is our black and African communities who have no reliable public transport to go and come from work.” He warned that it would be to the detriment of their own companies should employers decide to revert to previous offers. He added: “If employers are going to show that attitude, it will also mean that we must plan for how we will be spiteful for them next year.”
- Read this report by Katleho Sekhotho in full at EWN
- Read too, Bus strike to drag on as latest talks fail, at BusinessLive
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page