Truck drivers' strike: Violence identifies need for new legislation
The ongoing violence and intimidation exhibited by striking truck drivers reached unacceptable proportions yesterday. For the past four days, the strike has systematically become more and more violent.
The strike began on Monday, with violence breaking out after striking workers attacked non-strikers and damaged their vehicles. Four people were injured after the police had to disperse a violent crowd of strikers during the day. On Tuesday, the number of violent incidents increased, with strikers attacking and severely beating a 55-year old man in Ekhuruleni in the worst incidence of violence on Tuesday.
Several other incidents of violence were also reported. Trucks were burnt in Olifantsfontein and Tembisa and a crowd of 100 strikers allegedly attacked a poultry truck in Cape Town with knobkierries and golf clubs. On Wednesday, union leaders denied that the strike had been marred by violence and intimidation and called on striking workers to exercise restraint. These calls were echoed by the ministers of labour and police on the same day.
Yesterday, however, the strike violence continued as workers appeared to ignore the calls for peaceful strike action from their union leaders, with two more trucks being burnt in Irene and another truck being petrol-bombed in Durban by striking workers.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) fully supports the right of workers to conduct industrial action, but condemns these occurrences of violence and vandalism in the strongest terms. By conducting these violent actions, striking workers are unwisely bringing the legitimacy of the entire strike, and the wage demands it rests on, into question.