By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has threatened a strike in the bus sector ahead of the Easter weekend.
Numsa said that employers, the South African Bus Employers Association and the Commuter Bus Employers Organisations, had refused to negotiate a salary increase since January.
The union added that workers had also asked for health insurance benefits since they had not been provided any medical cover at all.
It said that the employers had so far proposed a 6% increase for three years, conditional that workers drop their demand for medical aid and insurance.
Numsa’s Phakamile Hlubi-Majola: “We have been trying to negotiate with employers through the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council and we declared a dispute in February but employers are stubbornly refusing to give workers a meaningful increase.”
Hlubi-Majola said they had obtained a certificate to strike and that if employers did not return to the negotiating table, they would have no choice but to resort to a full-blown strike – which could affect the upcoming Easter weekend.
The only official proposal on the table is that of the mediator, broken down as follows:
- Two-year agreement from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2025.
- 7% increase for year one and year two on the minimum wage.
- All employees receive a 7% increase on all allowances for two years.
- On the demand for health insurance (or primary healthcare, as it is referred to in the proposed agreement), the employers want that issue to be dealt with at the company or plant level, and not at the National Bargaining Forum.
Millions of people travel around the country over Easter and Numsa knows that bus companies cannot afford not to have their vehicles on the roads at this time.
Employers were given until Wednesday to reconsider their offer or prepare for a nationwide strike.