Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za

2-minute read
06 April 2023 | 12:19 CAT

Photo credit: EWN

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has hovered to launch a massive bus strike ahead of the Easter weekend – a decision likely to leave millions of bus commuters stranded.

The bus passenger sector workers said that employers, the South African Bus Employers Association and the Commuter Bus Employers Organisations, had refused to negotiate a salary increase since January.

The union said that workers had also asked for health insurance benefits since they hadn’t been given any medical coverage.

It said that the employers had proposed a six increase for three years, tentatively that workers drop their demand for medical aid and insurance.

Numsa’s Phakamile Hlubi- Majola” We’ve been trying to negotiate with employers through the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council and we declared a dispute in February but employers are stubbornly refusing to give workers a meaningful increase and if the employers don’t come to the negotiating table, we will have no choice but to resort to a full- blown strike.”

This would not be the first similar strike action – in April 2017, millions of commuters around the country were stranded after striking bus workers dumped their buses and joined Numsa’s call for a total bus boycott.

Some of these commuters were due to journey to neighbouring countries and had formerly reserved and paid for their tickets but had to use alternative means of transport – a redundant burden for them – to travel home.

Those who didn’t have enough cash had to remain in South Africa. Some locals had to hop into different taxis – also an extra cost – to travel home.