Unions warn of looming truck drivers’ strike
Truck drivers could down tools
if there is no breakthrough in wage negotiations with employers.
Negotiations between employers and several unions, including the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) and the Motor Transport Workers' Union (Mtwu) have deadlocked.
Satawu spokesperson Zanele Sabela says workers are demanding 32% across the board wage increase over three years while employers are offering only 18%.
Sabela says they also want minimum wage for cash-in-transit officers to be raised to R20 000 per month to compensate for the danger they face on a daily basis.
They also want the minimum wage for Code 14 truck drivers be increased to R15 000 to discourage employers thinking they can exploit foreign nationals.
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"Workers are very unhappy of the foreign nationals that being employed in this industry. You find companies that employ predominately foreign nationals therefore not leaving space for South African nations and the reason they do that -we suspect- they are exploiting the foreign national workers and paying them less.”
Unions want to limit the number of foreign nationals employed in the different companies to 25% but employers want to first engage Parliament on the issue.
"We are going to be heading to CCMA so negotiations can continue there but if we are unable to resolvce the issues we have then unfortunately the CCMA will have to issue a certificate and we'll have to take to the streets," Sabela says.