BL Premium reports that the Labour Court at the weekend threw out Transnet’s application to interdict a strike by members of the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu), so setting the stage for more than 21,000 workers to join industrial action that has already brought the state-owned rail and ports operator to its knees.
The court ruling came after Transnet declared force majeure on Thursday after workers led by the United National Transport Union (Untu) downed tools over higher wages. Untu is the biggest union at Transnet, accounting for 60% of the company’s 55,000-strong workforce. It will be joined on Monday by Satawu. Transnet had sought to block the strike on grounds that there was no secret ballot to approve the strike and that picketing rules had not been agreed on between the company and striking workers as required by the law. “The court did not deal with Transnet’s submissions on the defective notice period and the lack of a secret ballot and picketing rules,” Transnet claimed in a statement. The two unions have rejected an offer of a 4% wage hike plus a one-off pretax payment of R5,000. Untu and Satawu are demanding increases of 12% and 13.5%, respectively. Satawu’s Jack Mazibuko said the union planned to picket at all Transnet divisions and depots. Leaders of Untu and Satawu will jointly meet Transnet management on Monday to begin talks facilitated by the CCMA to try to end the strike.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thando Maeko & Denene Erasmus at BusinessLive (subscriber access only)
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page