Countrywide pay protests by disgruntled truckers are to continue on Friday, the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) on said in Johannesburg.
”We will push ahead until the employer starts negotiating in good faith and show more commitment to resolving the current disagreement,” said Satawu spokesperson June Dube on Friday morning.
More demonstrations were being planned outside the Johannesburg offices of the industry’s bargaining council and in other major cities.
The past week has seen widespread protests, including violent action, by truckers pressing for better pay. They are demanding a 10% increase on minimum wages and a nine percent pay rise across the board.
The Road Freight Association is offering a seven-percent raise on basic salaries and an additional allowance of 2,33% for 12 months. This was an improvement of its initial offer of 6,5%. Renewed pay talks between the RFEA and Satawu along with four other unions deadlocked on Thursday.
Dube accused the RFEA on Friday of not showing enough commitment to ending the three day strike.
”We started off with 22 demands and went down to six, but there has not really been any tangible progress,” said Dube.
The RFEA said late on Thursday it might seek a court interdict against unions if striking truck drivers continued what the employer described as unruly behaviour.
Chief executive Nico Badenhorst said the violence and disruptions had compelled the association to consider court action.
On Tuesday, 29 truckers were arrested in the Johannesburg city centre after violent clashes with the police. Nine people were injured and taken to hospital.
The strike, said to be involving over 30 000 truckers, is reportedly costing the economy about R100-million a day. – Sapa