Rea Vaya bus drivers’ strike still not resolved
Samwu, Piotrans and Litsamaiso were in talks to end the strike on Wednesday 2 April.
Members of the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the management of the Piotrans and Litsamaiso bus operating companies met on Wednesday 2 April to try and resolve the Rea Vaya bus drivers’ strike.
By midday at least one of the issues had been withdrawn. According to Dumisani Mntambo, Piotrans’ head of Strategy and Transformation, the union at least agreed that allowing senior drivers to pick and choose their shifts was “unconstitutional”.
The demand that appears to be the sticking point is that the union wants Piotrans to get rid of their labour brokers. Mntambo stated that Piotrans has no labour brokers. It has approached the Labour Court for an interdict declaring the strike illegal because the union has demands that cannot be met. “We cannot abolish something that does not exist.”
An illegal or unprotected strike is one that does not comply with the Labour Relations Act. An unprotected strike allows for certain protections for the company the employees are striking against. One measure allowed is that, if deemed fair, a company may fire those who continue to strike after the interdict has been passed. Mntambo says that even if the interdict is granted, “we can’t just dismiss people. All processes will be followed and if an employee needs to be disciplined, appropriate action will be taken”.
The Labour Court will sit on Thursday 3 April at 10am.
