SATAWU GRANTED CERTIFICATE FOR NATION-WIDE BUS STRIKE
10 March, 2017
South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) along with the other unions in the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBAC) have been granted a certificate to go on strike.
The five unions embarked on a mediation process led by the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on Monday this week but by the end of Thursday the dispute was still unresolved.
There is, however, a mandatory 30-day cooling off period unions have to observe before embarking on the strike. Parties can engage during this period if they choose but they are not obliged to.
The industry-wide wage talks kicked-off in late January but reached a deadlock in the second phase of negotiations last month. It was then that parties agreed to the CCMA mediation. Unfortunately, parties could not reach an agreement as employer associations refused to move despite labour’s willingness to compromise.