Towu apologises for strike

The Transport and Omnibus Workers' Union (Towu) is sorry for the inconvenience its strike has caused, the union said on Monday.

 

The union said Cape Town's Golden Arrow buses would be back in operation on Tuesday. "Towu wants to apologise to the public at large for the inconvenience that this strike... has caused," said union spokesman Tony Franks in a statement. Earlier in the day, it was announced that bus drivers affiliated to Satawu were expected to return to work on Tuesday. "Drivers will be back at work from tomorrow [Tuesday]; there is a wage deal that we agreed on, though we have not yet signed it," said SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) secretary-general Zenzo Mahlangu. 

 

The SA Bus Employers' Association (Sabea) confirmed there was an agreement in place that would mean an end to the national strike.  "A fifteen-month wage agreement has been concluded. We agreed on a 9.5 percent wage agreement, that will take effect from April 1," said Klaus Heimes of Sabea. Klaus aid a further 0.5 percent would kick in later. "In effect, the wage agreement is a 10 percent increase from October, to make it more affordable for the employers."  Bus drivers parked their buses on April 19, leaving thousands of commuters stranded across the country. They later intensified the protest action, when they took to the streets picketing in Cape Town and Johannesburg.  

 

The Congress of SA Trade Unions expressed support for striking bus drivers and their wage demands, saying drivers needed a better living wage. Satawu had said their members would "not accept anything less than a double-digit increase".  Apart from better wages, they were demanding allowances for housing, night-shifts, and long-distance journeys.

 

-Sapa