Johannesburg - Rea Vaya operating company Piotrans has started disciplinary proceedings against several bus drivers who failed to return to work yesterday.
“We immediately issued all drivers with instructions to return to work. Unfortunately many of them did not return. The board of Piotrans on Friday authorised the company to institute disciplinary proceedings against the affected staff and to look at measures to ensure that such actions were not repeated in the future,” spokesman Dumisani Mntambo stated.
Rea Vaya bus services came to a halt last Monday when the drivers failed to report for duty. Instead, they parked their buses at intersections in the Joburg inner city, causing major traffic congestion.
Mntambo said the SA Municipal Workers Union (Samwu), which is representing the workers, had failed to respond to the company’s formal enquiries.
“Prior to the actions of the drivers, no dispute between the company and the drivers was formally logged,” he said. “It was a shock to us that workers took such actions without raising their grievances with us.”
Piotrans apologised to affected commuters and assured them that actions were in place to return bus services to normality.
Meanwhile, Gautrain bus services remain suspended following a strike by drivers that began on Thursday.
Errol Braithwaite, spokesman for the Bombela Concession Company, which runs the Gautrain service, said emergency meetings were held with the management of the bus operating company at the weekend. During an interview with ANN7, he said management had said they would not negotiate with any bus drivers involved in illegal strike action.
Braithwaite said that if the drivers did not return to work, the company would have to seek legal action.
Samwu could not be reached for comment.
The Star