The National Union of Metal Workers (Numsa) says it is on the verge of a national strike in the bus sector due to a collapse in wage talks.
Numsa says they have been engaging in wage talks with the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council and reached a deadlock. They have since lodged a dispute.
The union is demanding R12 000 per month for its lowest earner from R7 800, they also want medical aid, housing allowance, night shift allowance and less overtime for its members.
Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola says, “We reached a deadlock with employers in our last engagement which was on the 14th to 18th February 2022 and we have lodged a dispute since then.”
“In the bus passenger sector, there have been no meaningful increases implemented in the past two years. The excuse that was used at that time was the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Parties agreed to minimal increases between 2020/21 as a result of this,” added Hlubi-Majola.
