BusinessLive reports that bus companies in the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council (Sarpbac) have called on the Minister of Employment & Labour, Thulas Nxesi, to extend to non-parties an agreement for payment of Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) benefits to workers in the sector affected by the coronavirus.  

The organisations in the Sarpbac are the SA Bus Employers Association (Sabea), and the Commuter Bus Employers Organisation (Cobeo), representing bus companies including TransLux, City to City, Greyhound, Mega Bus & Coach, Putco, and Golden Arrow, among others.  Solomon Mahlangu of the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) said on Monday that the agreement had been concluded.  “All that’s left is for the agreement to be implemented and extended to non-parties,” he indicated.  UIF spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi stated:  “I know some agreements have gone to the DG [director-general Thobile Lamati] to sign.  I will know by Tuesday which ones those are.”  On Monday, Sarpbac general secretary Gary Wilson confirmed that the council had sent a memorandum of agreement to the UIF for ratification.  “We are now waiting for them to send us an acceptance letter ... in the main we are committing ourselves, on behalf of the industry, to assist the UIF to distribute funding to companies to pay employee benefits,” said Wilson.  About 35,000 employees in the bus industry stand to benefit from the agreement.  

Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Luyolo Mkentane at BusinessLive

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