BusinessLive reports that some of the five companies that have applied to be exempted from complying with the recent bus sector wage agreement want the agreement declared unlawful, unfair and unconstitutional.  

In May following a 26-day strike, the companies agreed that workers would receive a 9% wage hike in 2018 and 8% in 2019.  Since then, Algoa, Golden Arrow, Putco, Amogelang and Phumatra Transport Enterprise have requested the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council (Sarpbac) to exclude them from some of the agreement’s terms.  Although some companies have said financial difficulties have prevented them from paying higher salaries, others said in their applications that the deal was unlawful and unfair.  Apparently some company representatives have even threatened to challenge the agreement in the Constitutional Court.  Unions and council members have been angered by the claims, describing them as "attacks" on not only the agreement but the entire collective bargaining process.  This was because the companies were party to the wage talks and signatories to the wage deal.  Fears have been expressed that if these developments were not handled with care, they could not only collapse the bus sector collective bargaining, but set the tone for other industries.

• Read this report by Theto Mahlakoana in full at BusinessLive
• Read too Business Day’s editorial that ‘Bus groups put collective bargaining system to the test’, at BusinessLive

Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page