A Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) official will meet with Transnet and unions on Thursday in an attempt to resolve a countrywide strike.
“The CCMA has appointed a senior commissioner … he is meeting with Transnet this morning [Thursday] and the unions this afternoon,” said United Transport and Allied Trade Union (Utatu) general secretary Chris de Vos.
“Tomorrow [Friday] he is meeting with all the parties together.”
Members of Utatu, the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) and the South African Railways and Harbours Workers’ Union (Sarwu) went on strike after rejecting an 11% wage increase offer from Transnet.
“We will try everything in our power to reach an agreement. We have to put own interests aside now and act in the interest of the workers, the company and the country,” said De Vos.
“The workers are also losing a lot of money with the strike … the longer it continues the more impatient and angry people become.”
Intimidation
He said there had been several incidents of intimidation against workers who still showed up for work.
“Some of them do belong to unions, but they cannot afford to strike, and there are also those really loyal workers who do not believe in strike action.”
Utatu received reports of intimidation in Bloemfontein on Thursday morning, he said.
In several cases, the vehicles of employees reporting for work had been vandalised.
“Fortunately, so far, nobody has been injured,” said De Vos.
Eighty-five percent of Transnet’s workforce was on strike this week to demand a 15% wage increase.
Transnet first offered an 8% and then an 11% increase, which union members rejected.
The strike has affected freight rail, rail engineering, ports, port terminals and pipelines.
On Wednesday, a train transporting petrol and diesel derailed between Durban and Johannesburg, causing a huge diesel spillage, in an apparent sabotage action by striking workers.
An ore transport line has also been closed down while some Metrorail services have been affected by striking Transnet railway station operators. — Sapa