An estimated 65 000 workers associated with the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) are taking part in a nationwide strike for higher wages by freight and logistics workers and cash-in-transit employees.
Speaking at the Library Gardens in Johannesburg on Tuesday, provincial chairperson of Satawu Ephraim Mphahlele said the strike would have a major effect on the country.
He said the most-affected areas would be the food retail sector and the fuel sector as truck drivers were responsible for delivering these goods. He also highlighted the eventual strain on the banking sector as cash-in-transit workers joined the strike on Monday.
“It would take too many years to recover,” said Mphahlele.
As Mphahlele was addressing the crowd, wage negotiations between trade unions and the Road Freight Employers’ Association (RFEA), which deadlocked in December, were taking place in Boksburg.
“We are not actually going to back down from this; we are going to demand what we are demanding until we get it,” said Mphahlele.
‘The remaining 5% is not too much’
The four unions involved in the strike — Satawu, the Motor Transport Workers’ Union, the Transport and Allied Workers’ Union of South Africa, and the Professional Transport Workers’ Union — are demanding a 20% wage increase spread over two years. Currently the RFEA is offering 15%.
“We are saying the remaining 5% is not too much,” said Mphahlele.
Zenzo Mahlangu, general secretary of Satawu, told the Mail & Guardian on Tuesday that the average truck driver and the average cash-in-transit employee earn R4 000 a month. This applied to permanent employees.
“Other categories, who are not part of the bargaining chamber, like your administration workers’ and clerks’ wages, are divided on racial lines. You will find that the average white person is earning R15 000 and the previously disadvantaged black person doing the same job is earning R4 000; this indicates a lack of transformation,” said Mahlangu.
Other demands
Among other union demands are: a housing allowance of R500 per employee; the ban of labour brokers in the industry; and six months fully paid maternity leave for female workers.
“One of the reasons why we want to get rid of labour brokers,” said Mahlangu, “is that the average general worker in this category [non-permanent workers] earns R1 500 per month, an average clerk earns R2500 and a driver R2000. This is less than permanent employees in those same positions.
“What you’ll find is that the companies are pushing towards a cost-effective direction that will see labour brokers being used more than permanent employees,” he said.
Other demands by the unions include: “No consultants to be used in bargaining council structures; improve all benefits to attract new workers; all benefits to apply to all workers in the industry, including administration workers, call centre workers and supervisors; [and] racial composition of management in the industry must transform.”