JOINT STATEMENT FROM THE UNIONS IN THE BUS SECTOR

UNIONS ARE DISAPPOINTED THAT MEDIATION TO END THE BUS STRIKE HAS FAILED AGAIN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

26 April 2018

The five unions involved in the bus strike, SATAWU NUMSA, TIRISANO, TAWUSA, TOWU, attended a meeting which was called for by the Minister of Transport, Dr. Blade Nzimande and the Labour Minister Mildred Oliphant. The ministers called all parties to the table in an attempt to resolve the impasse between us and employers in the bus sector.

The bus strike is in its eighth day and it is having a severe impact on public transportation for the working class and their families. Thousands of workers are stranded and unable to get to work, whilst others have to spend extra money which they did not budget for, in order to get to work. The worst affected by the strike however are our members who are losing wages for every day that they withdraw their labour. This has a direct impact on them and their families and their ability to survive.

The real tragedy is that despite the interventions even at the highest office, as parties we remain very far apart.

The trade unions have compromised in the following ways:

- The mandate our members gave to us was that we must demand 12% across the board. We have, since CCMA intervened, moved from 12% to 9.5%

- We demanded a 1 year agreement, but during the mediation we were willing to settle for a two year agreement.

- Our members get no medical aid and are denied other benefits.

THE EMPLOYERS REMAIN INFLEXIBLE

In comparison, the employers have not made any attempts to move the negotiations in a positive direction. The offer of 9% was an offer which was proposed by the CCMA and not the employers.

Furthermore they 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.

They also refuse to adhere to the definition of the night shift allowance to be implemented in line with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA). In other words, workers are robbed of a night shift allowance because the industry has made its own rules about what constitutes a night shift and therefore workers are not fully paid for the work they do.

It is deeply concerning that both the ministers of Transport and Labour were unable to convince the employers to do the right thing. First and foremost, the denial of a night shift allowance is a gross violation of the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), finish and klaar. But the employers want to continue to blatantly ignore the BCEA.

Secondly, it is outrageous that workers should be forced to work long hours, and be denied their full wages. The alternative driver is robbed of his wages, because employers will only pay him when he is behind the wheel.

We have an extremely high car crash rate in our country. It is no surprise that bus accidents happen because drivers are forced to work like slaves. Under the current dispensation drivers start their shifts at 3AM and only finish their shifts at 8PM. How much sleep can they possibly be getting when they work 18 hours a day?! How much sleep are getting when they leave the company at 8PM, only to be back 6 hours later? It is a fact that sleep deprivation has a major impact on a drivers’ ability on the road, and yet these sweat shop conditions are precisely what bus drivers are exposed to everyday.

EMPLOYERS CONTINUE TO EARN SUBSIDIES WHILST WORKERS ARE DENIED WAGES!

 As it stands, part of the reason employers are arrogant is that, whilst our members are denied their wages, employers continue to receive their subsidy from the Transport ministry. If our members do not work, the bosses in the industry are still guaranteed their money from the state, which is funded from our taxes! It is unfair that our hard earned taxes are being used to pay abusive bosses, whilst workers and their families suffer and are denied wages because they are on strike. The Transport minister says there is a discussion in the ministry about the bus subsidy. We urge the transport minister to urgently investigate how the companies continue to access this subsidy.

Whilst it might be true that some of these issues, such as the night shift allowance and the dual driver payment existed in the old Agreement in the past, workers in the bus sector have clearly rejected these clauses. The previous agreement lapsed on the 31st of March, the demands of the unions are that the employers must adhere to the BCEA. We are in the negotiations now and the previous provisions no longer apply.

WE HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO EXTEND THE STRIKE INTO THE LONG WEEKEND

In light of this inflexible position of the employers we call on our members to continue the strike into the long weekend. They must do so, because striking is the only way to force bosses to give in. We will extend the strike into the long weekend and beyond because the bosses in the sector only care about profits, and not people. They certainly don’t care about commuters or their employees.

We apologise to our communities for the inconvenience but we have no choice but to keep fighting. We have done all we can to make moves and negotiate in good faith, but the employers remain stubborn. Their greed is the reason we are on strike in the first place. We cannot allow workers to keep being abused, just in order to make the bosses richer and richer, whilst our members get poorer and poorer. Our members have been disciplined and they are truly militant. We salute them for the sacrifices they are making for their families.

WE REJECT THE FALSE NARRATIVE BY AUTOPAX

We reject the false narrative by Autopax bus company. They are experiencing financial problems and therefore haven’t paid workers wages. They claim the strike is to blame for their woes. We reject that excuse with the contempt it deserves. This is nothing more than an attempt to blackmail us into backing down from the strike. Their financial problems are as a result of poor management at PRASA. The Transport minister confirmed that PRASA failed to spend R14 billion in the last financial year which was allocated to it to do so, and that’s why the problem has now been resolved and they can suddenly pay salaries. Any attempt to shut down the strike on the basis of the problems at Autopax is mischievous and we reject it.

Aluta continua!

The Struggle continues!

Issued on behalf of SATAWU, NUMSA, TIRISANO, TAWUSA , and TOWU, 26 April 2018