Transnet workers embark on national strike
Members
of the United National Transport Union (Untu) and the South African Transport
Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) will embark on a national strike at Transnet.
Workers at the state-owned entity decided to down tools after the latest round of wage negotiations deadlocked.
On Thursday morning, metro police in Durban had stopped dozens of protesting Transnet workers from blocking routes near the city’s harbour.
The state-owned entity's revised offer on Wednesday of a 3% wage increase has been rejected by both Satawu and Untu.
Unions are demanding a much higher figure of 13.5%.
Untu general-secretary Cobus van Vuuren says the offer on the table is unrealistic.
“We are living in a socio-economic environment where people need to earn a living wage and the offer that Transnet has put to the table is unacceptable and unrealistic. If accepted, it will only impoverish people even further.”
Van Vuuren says Transnet maintains the strike is illegal.
“Transnet has sent us their lawyer’s letter claiming that the strike is unprotected, alleging that the strike noticed was not served with a 48-hour notice.
“And we had not followed the prescripts as set down in the Labour Relations Act prior to embarking on strike, which is not true.”
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