Wage talks to end a countrywide strike by road freight workers could not be resolved by late Tuesday, the SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) said.
“Nothing was resolved. They spoke and spoke and were still trying to count figures,” spokesperson Zenzo Mahlangu told the South African Press Association after its meeting with the Road Freight Employers’ Association (RFEA).
“We said we will give them more time. Talks will continue tomorrow [Wednesday] at 9am.”
An estimated 65Â 000 workers downed tools on Monday over annual wage increases, with violent demonstrations erupting on Monday and reports of intimidation surfacing on the second day.
The four unions involved were the Transport and Allied Workers’ Union of SA, the Professional Transport Workers’ Union, Satawu, and the Motor Transport Workers’ Union (MTWU).
The unions are demanding a 20% increase allocated over a two-year period.
The RFEA was offering an increase of 7,5% across the board for 2011 and a further 7,5% increase for 2012.
All four unions said they would negotiate on the 10% increase, but would not easily go below 8,5%.
Peaceful protest
Hundreds of workers gathered in the Johannesburg central business district as part of their ongoing wage dispute but Gauteng police spokesperson Captain John Maluleke said the protest was largely peaceful and workers had dispersed by Tuesday afternoon.
This marked a shift from Monday’s demonstration in which four people were injured when police fired rubber bullets on protesters who attacked non-strikers and damaged their vehicles.
Earlier on Tuesday, a 55-year-old man was severely injured after his truck was attacked, allegedly by striking workers. Ekurhuleni metro police spokesperson Inspector Mveli Nhlapo said the trucking crew were attacked along Nile Road in Olifantsfontein before midday.
The truck was stoned and the crew beaten.
Two other trucks were burned nearby and another near Tembisa.
Nhlapo said the drivers of the three trucks may have fled for their safety because they were not found near the trucks.
The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that picketing Satawu members attacked a poultry truck in Salt River, Cape Town. The report said a group of about 100 people brandished knobkerries, bricks and golf clubs. They blocked a street and smashed the windows of the truck. They then chased the two drivers.
The effects of prolonged industrial action by freight workers was likely to hit the consumer. Fuel industry players have implemented contingency plans to ensure that pumps do not run dry during the strike and Capitec Bank has warned that cash in ATMs could run low.
The National Union of Metal Workers of SA on Tuesday expressed its support for workers in the ongoing industrial action.
“These demands are consistent with the electoral commitments of the ANC government of creating decent work and building sustainable livelihoods.”
It called on the workers to “intensify their action” and on employers to “concede to the legitimate demands of workers”. – Sapa