The nationwide bus strike which began today is set to continue indefinitely after Numsa rejected the offer made by the bus employers.
“Thousands of Numsa members have gone on strike to protest against the dehumanising conditions faced by employees in the bus passenger sector. Since embarking on strike action today, employers responded by requesting that we meet and negotiate in the bargaining council, which is being chaired by the CCMA. Those talks have broken down, leaving us with no choice but to continue our strike action,” Phakamile Hlubi, acting national spokesperson for National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, said this afternoon.
The following offer was made by the employers:
• 9% across the board wage increase;
• Overtime pay for drivers, but only after they have worked a 16 hour shift;
• An increase of the night shift allowance by 10%;
• A 10% increase for cross border allowance
Negotiations first began towards the end of February between Numsa and the employers, after which a failed agreement led to bus drivers downing tools in a bid to get improved working conditions, including the extensive 16-hour shifts which bus drivers are often subjected to.
Buses across the country were not operational today, which threatened the anti-Zuma marches to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. According to estimates, around 100 000 people had protested in the march.
Earlier today, chairperson of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport, Dikeledi Magadzi, expressed concerns that the nationwide bus strike will inconvenience the country in unprecedented ways.
“The national bus strike is set to inconvenience the country in proportions not witnessed before. A lot of people around this time are commuting by road to be with families,” Magadzi said, according to News24.
Cosatu came out in support of the strike, calling for an increase in the average R8 500 a-month wage which the bus drivers earn.