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Fin24 reports that the SA Bus Employers Association (Sebea) and the Commuter Bus Employers Organisation (Cobeo) have called wage demands by the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) unaffordable.
The employer associations in the bus passenger sector have been in talks with unions at the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council (Sarpbac) since the beginning of the year. However, a deadlock in the talks prompted the council to issue labour with a certificate of non-resolution. Numsa then approached the CCMA for a strike certificate. The union confirmed last week that it was in the process of finalising picket rules and was on the verge of a strike. Numsa’s demands would see the lowest-earning category of employees receiving a R4,200 pay bump to earn as much as R12,000 a month. The union has also demanded of increases to a range of allowances. Employers are offering a 2.5% increase for the lowest-earning category of employees. A joint statement by Sabea and Cobeo said the passenger transport industry faced several challenges in recent years, such as the impact of Covid-19 on operations, increasing unemployment, poor economic conditions, and reduced passenger numbers. Significant job losses have already taken place with employee numbers reducing from 24,000 in 2020 to 15,000 in 2022. "The current demands represent almost a 35% employee cost increase which is unaffordable in an industry already facing many challenges," the statement claimed.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Khulekani Magubane at Fin24
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