'Unions have bent over backwards' to end bus strike
The nationwide bus strike moved into its 10th day without any indication of an agreement.
Five transport unions say despite numerous compromises in their wage negotiations, bus companies have refused to meet them half way.
Freedom Day marked the 10th day of the nationwide bus strike, and despite interventions by government, there is still no indication of the parties reaching an agreement.
Unions SATAWU, NUMSA, TIRISANO, TOWU, and TAWUSA released a joint statement on Thursday night claiming "the employers have not made any attempts to move the negotiations in a positive direction".
Workers initially demanded an over 12% increase, along with a number of other demands around working conditions.
Between two failed rounds of negotiations and interventions by the Council for Concilliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA), and the ministers of transport and labour, the wage demand was brought down to below 10%.
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But of the main disputes, on which neither unions nor employers seem willing to budge, is the payment of alternative drivers.
Currently, drivers are only paid for the time spent behind the wheel, despite some spending hours on a long-distance bus, waiting for their turn to drive.
The unions claim employers "arrogantly refuse to give into the just demand for the alternative driver to be paid his full salary for all the time that he is on the bus".
Bus companies are however not commenting at this stage as talks are still underway.
Unions have again called on their members and non-unionised drivers to intensify the strike.
"Striking is the only way to force bosses to give in," reads the joint statement.