OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Thursday 10.30am.
COMMUTERS queued for alternative travel arrangements on Thursday as bus services were hit by a strike involving 18000 transport workers.
Negotiations between the Transport Workers’ General Union (TGWU), three affiliated unions and the South African Bus Employers’ Association came to a standstill at midnight Wednesday over wages and rest periods bewteen shifts.
One of Gauteng’s largest transport firms, PUTCO, claims the strike will hurt it to the tune of several million rand. The firm advised the 100000 commuters who regularly use its services to find alternate arrangements.
Queues at taxi ranks in Soweto and outside Pretoria are longer than usual Thursday. Pretoria Metrorail also deployed extra staff to deal with anticipated crowds.
In Durban, public transport is operating normally, and local bus firms do not report massive strike-related problems. In the Cape Peninsula, about 150000 commuters are using alternative transport.
Demands in the strike have changed, as the unions are demanding an 11% increase, as opposed to 13% one week ago, while employers are offering 6%, up from 4,5% last week. The strike does not affect municipal bus services, as the municipal drivers do not belong to any of the four unions involved in the dispute.