A strike by Metrobus drivers scheduled for Monday has been temporarily suspended after intervention by the Johannesburg municipality, the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) said on Friday.
Samwu’s branch secretary in Johannesburg, Dumisani Langa, said the union met a member of the mayoral committee, Rehana Moosajee, on Friday morning to discuss the Metrobus drivers’ grievances.
Samwu members accused employers of failing to pay them their accumulated sick leave, of dismissing drivers for petty allegations of misconduct and for employing foreigners who do not have the necessary work permits.
”The employers are saying members must lose their sick leave instead of paying them. They have employed people from outside the country without following the proper procedures. These people must be removed and proper procedures followed and sick leave must be paid out,” said Langa.
”There’s also a strong casualisation of workers, and these casual workers are not paid benefits. In the past four months, 120 union members were dismissed and replaced by casual workers.”
Langa said many workers were dismissed after management decided to change an internal inquiry decision not to dismiss them.
”We win some of these cases at the internal inquiry, but management will change that decision to dismissal. Plus they recently suspended a shop steward for trying to raise a general meeting.”
Langa said these were some of the union’s demands.
Another meeting will be held with Moosajee on Monday where the union will present all its grievances.
Langa said the strike was suspended on the basis of the intervention of the municipality. ”If solutions are not found by November 24, then we will go on strike,” he said.
Metrobus was not immediately available for comment. — Sapa