Joint statement by SATAWU, NUMSA, TIRISANO, TAWUSA and TOWU.

The above trade unions have been involved in marathon wage negotiations in the passenger bus industrysince January 2018.Throughout the employers have maintained a consistent intransigent position, which can only be defined as anti-worker and indeed they are union bashers.

When the deadlock was reached in February 2018, and when finally in March 2018 the certificate of non-resolution was issued by the bargaining council, these employers failed to utilize the cooling-off period of 30 days to negotiate a resolution to the current impasse. It is the collective submission of the above unions that these employers have not negotiated in good faith. In addition, they allowed the cooling off period to lapse, demonstrating unambiguously that they do not care about the plight of the communities who are the immediate victims of the strike action.

Given the ever increasing food inflation, expensive food basket, transport costs and the unilaterally imposed VAT hike by government, but above all, the intransigent position that has been maintained by the employers to make an offer which is less than what workers settled on last year, despite all the financial hardship that workers are experiencing is further evidence that they do not care about workers or the impact of the strike on the community at large.

For the past two days the CCMA have invoked section 150 intervention where the CCMA pulled together all parties and facilitated a resolution to the current strike. Unions collectively have demonstrated a willingness to negotiate in good faith with an intention to find a speedy resolution to the strike and as such the unions were willing to move from their positions as negotiations are form of give and take.

However since yesterday employers adopted a very provocative attitude which constitutes an insult to workers. For instance workers went out on strike having been aware of the CCMA mediator’s proposal which employers refused to accept and, the same offer was reported to workers, and workers were very clear that they have great difficulty in accepting such a position. Employers came to the CCMA 150 intervention to say that they have now changed their minds and are now accepting the mediator’s proposal of 8% in the first year, and 8.5% in the second year and this was conditional on unions dropping all other core demands that include the dual driver payment, insourcing and the payment of night shift hours in line with the BCEA. And when employers maintained their position as unions we still attempted to persuade them that on the basis of this un-mandated position we moved and made an offer of giving them a two year agreement which offers the industry stability and the extra 1% to improve the mediator proposal would have amounted to a 9.5% in the first year and 9% in the second year. This is a position we told them that we were willing to take and recommend as a settlement to our members, unfortunately employers maintained a rigid stance and rejected all our movements and attempts to find a settlement. In response all unions collectively are left with no option but resolve to intensify the strike and the current offer is rejected with the contempt it deserves.

Unions collectively call on all their members in the Bus passenger sector to intensify the strike until such time that employers makes an offer that can settle the strike. We are calling on all our progressive communities that we understand their plight but request them to be patient and to fully support this just strike and the struggle for workers for a living wage.

To the extent that this strike is affecting our communities negatively and the rest of the economy, we are calling on government to intervene in the interest of workers to ensure that a settlement is found in particular the Department of Transport and the Department of Labour.

Issued by the following unions:

SATAWU

NUMSA

TIRISANO

TAWUSA

TOWU