By Nompumeleo Magwaza
Bus company Remant Alton has shut down its operations indefinitely after a three-week strike by drivers led to thousands of commuters being stranded.
Remant Alton executive officer Paul Rush said support staff were told to go on paid leave because the buses were not operating.
"The remaining staff have nothing to do, so they were given leave until further notice," he said.
| 'The remaining staff have nothing to do, so they were given leave until further notice' |
He said the company was planning to recruit subcontractors to operate Remant Alton routes.
Since the illegal strike started, Remant has fired more than 900 workers and has endured the burning of 19 buses at Ntuzuma depot, and the blockading of other depots.
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Rush said these actions had resulted in the temporary closure of the company.
He said the company had started a recruitment programme to replace fired staff last week, which had been disrupted by intimidation outside its central depot.
Remant Alton said it hoped that talks at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) on Wednesday would yield results as the company had already lost R18-million in revenue due to the strike.
eThekwini deputy municipal manager Derek Naidoo said the municipality understood that the strike had led to the company's temporary closure.
"We are aware that Remant is still in talks with the unions and the CCMA, and we are waiting for them to come up with a solution that will get the service running again," he said.
The bus drivers have been joined in their strike by Durban Solid Waste workers.
The group wants to be employed by the municipality, rather than Remant Alton or labour brokers respectively.
The municipality is refusing to take the workers on.
A spokesperson for the strikers said the group would march in the city centre on Friday, although the municipality had turned down their application to protest.
The owner of labour brokerage Dorman Labour Services, Carl Emmanuel, said that 100 of his employees had been dismissed on Tuesday after refusing to resume work and to sign an agreement that they would not strike in future.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on October 08, 2008
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