The three-month-long security guard strike ended on Thursday with workers given until Monday to return to their posts.
”That signifies the end of Satawu’s [South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union] struggle for now,” joked union secretary general Randall Howard as he initialled the deal. He later described it as one of the most-difficult collective bargaining rounds and negotiations since 1994.
”It was a tough process, a gruelling process,” he said.
Guards held out for so long because they believed the industry could afford to pay them more, he said.
The three-year pay deal upgrades some of the lower-paid guards, makes a small improvement on maternity leave and provides for an increase of 9,25% in the first year and 7,25% in the second and third years.
Howard said the agreement put more money in workers’ pockets across all grades, except grades A and B.
The ”area five” workers are put into ”area four” and this is important for grade E workers in the rural areas as they will receive an immediate adjustment from R1050 to R1171, in addition to the percentages outlined, which translates into a 19,8% increase.
Satawu and the Transport and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa (Tawusa) had been holding out for 11%, but a new deal thrashed out at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) was accepted and signed by all 16 unions that represent guards, and the five main employers.
Thursday’s agreement replaces one signed on April 1 by 14 of the unions.
”It is important to find ways of avoiding a long strike in future,” said Tawusa secretary general Zack Mankga. ”I don’t think everybody was of the view that this would take so long.”
Steve Friswell, spokesperson for the South African National Security Employers’ Association said: ”I am delighted that we finally got an agreement and that the strike is going to come to an end and things can go back to normality.
”We hope we can get the guys back to work. There is a 72-hour window for employees to return to work. We expect everything to be back to normal on Monday.”
Word of the agreement travelled fast, with one guard smiling and shouting, ”It’s over!” and another saying: ”Tomorrow [Friday] you will see me in a tie.”
He, like many other guards, has been wearing plain clothes on duty to avoid being victimised as a scab while travelling to work since the strike began on March 23.
Almost 60 guards died during the strike, according to Kevin Derrick, acting chairperson of the Private Security Industry Provident Fund.
Howard said that while the union found these murders ”deplorable”, he also believed that some of the incidents, particularly violence during a Cape Town march, were orchestrated to prevent further marches. He said it bore a resemblance to askaris being planted by apartheid police to provoke the police into opening fire on demonstrators.
The union will sue the ministry of Safety and Security for actions by police during the march, he said.
”Our members were shot at, wrongfully arrested, tear-gassed and stun-gunned. They were harassed by police … accused of vandalism and violence, when in fact no objective evidence has ever been brought to bear.”
Pressed by journalists, he said: ”I don’t think people being thrown out of trains is justifiable. It is a very serious crime, it’s murder … it’s deplorable, it must be condemned. All I am saying … if it is found to be Satawu members then they must face the full wrath of the law.”
The deal will be implemented on publication of the sectoral determination and was forwarded to the Department of Labour.
The agreement was facilitated by CCMA negotiator Meshack Ravuku, with assistance from CCMA director Nerine Kahn and Business Unity South Africa’s labour negotiator Frans Barker. — Sapa