A strike by Johannesburg Metro Bus drivers entered its second week on Monday after weekend talks failed to reach an agreement.
Union officials described meetings on Friday, Saturday and Sunday as a ”waste of time” but Metro Bus spokesperson Kenney Kutu was hopeful of a breakthrough on Monday.
South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) Gauteng branch secretary Dumisani Langa said if meetings on Monday did not yield any results, the union would call for a solidarity strike by all its members.
”We wasted our long weekend by attending those meetings. We made various options available from the union’s perspective but nothing was considered, really.
”We are giving them more time today but we cannot continue to discuss for the sake of discussing.
”The strike is continuing,” said Langa.
Kutu said Metro Bus was hoping to make an official announcement on an agreement after a meeting with the union on Monday afternoon.
”We met throughout the long weekend with Samwu. We are making progress,” said Kutu.
”It was not a waste of time. With every meeting there is progress.”
He said ”the fact that no one is walking away” was positive.
”Negotiations are ongoing … we are hopeful,” said Kutu.
Samwu’s main gripe revolves around Metro Bus employees being unable to move up to a higher salary scale.
It said all drivers earned a monthly wage of R7 021, regardless of how many years they had served the company.
But Kutu earlier said this was what the union had requested.
”Seven years ago, the union demanded the current structure which was then approved by the council and they are now saying it’s no longer good enough,” said Kutu.
He denied reports that ”make it sound like workers have never had increases”.
He said although a driver who had worked for Metro Bus for 10 years and a new employee get the same salary, the annual increase did make a difference.
”With the increase it won’t be the same. People are confusing salary progression with salary increases.” — Sapa