Talks on the current security guards’ strike deadlocked again on Friday after the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) refused to suspend the strike.
Employers want Satawu to call off the violence-wracked strike as a precondition to negotiating, but Satawu has rejected this call.
At Friday’s meeting, convened under the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration’s banner, Satawu ”once again” refused to call off the strike, said Steve Friswell, the spokesperson for the employers.
”Employers have taken a principled stand not to resume wage negotiations until the strike by Satawu — which has been marked by intimidation, violence, vandalism and death — is called off.
”But once again today [Friday], Satawu has refused to see the wisdom of bringing an end to the carnage which is now bordering on anarchy,” he said.
”As a result of Satawu’s intransigence, the combined security-sector employers’ organisations today call on the Minister of Labour [Membathisi Mdladlana] to intervene.”
Friswell said pay increases for the guards — with Satawu wanting 11% and employers offering 8% — are due to come into effect on June 16.
”We urge the minister to exercise his authority as soon as possible to ensure there is no delay in the payment of increases to all security officers,” he said.
The employers ”are willing to resume negotiations provided the strike is called off, and appeals once again to Satawu to exercise responsibility by acceding to this reasonable request, not only on behalf of Satawu members, but on behalf of the country and the economy as a whole”, Friswell said.
The strike began on March 23.
Satawu coordinator Jackson Simon called on employers to set the issue of disciplinary hearings aside and focus on workers’ demands at the talks. He said their insistence on Satawu calling off its strike is unfortunate and will get in the way of good faith negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Chemical, Energy, Paper, Printing, Wood and Allied Workers’ Union (Ceppwawu), which like Satawu is affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu), said it will closely monitor the negotiations, and might strike in sympathy with the guards.
”We are seriously concerned that security employers continue to be unwilling to address in a meaningful way the low wage earned by security employees and the terrible conditions they work under.
”Should the employers continue with their unwillingness to enter into real negotiations, Ceppwawu will have no other option but to intensify its consultations with members to embark on secondary strike actions in solidarity with their colleagues in the security sector,” Ceppwawu deputy general secretary Keith Jacobs said.
He said Ceppwawu will further call on Cosatu at its central executive committee meeting next week to seek for a dialogue with Minister of Safety and Security Charles Nqakula to discuss police brutality ”as seen on Tuesday in Cape Town”. — Sapa