Cape Town - Attitudes are hardening and the ongoing bus driver strike could grow to include other transport sectors or even turn violent, unions have warned.
The City of Cape Town said it was worried about the “veiled threats” emanating from at least one union.
After several rounds of failed wage negotiations in the bus industry, labour and employer representatives will on Thursday consult with their constituencies.
Talks aimed at ending the nearly week-long national strike of bus drivers deadlocked again yesterday at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration offices in Joburg.
The unions have softened their demand from an 18 percent rise to 13 percent. Employers met this with an 8 and 7.5 percent offer for different income tiers.
Vincent Masoga, spokesman for the SA Transport And Allied Workers Union (Satawu) this morning reiterated the union’s intention to consult with workers in other sectors, notably in road, rail and ocean freight, about a solidarity strike.
This morning, bus drivers marched on the Athlone offices of the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council to hand over a memorandum of grievances and demands. Marchers from Satawu and the Transport and Omnibus Workers Union (Towu) toyi-toyied under police supervision.
Satawu leaders urged members to remain peaceful. “Let us behave ourselves, so that we can gain the support of the general public in our struggle,” said Fuad Inglis, president of Towu.
The union will also be meeting its members who work for the MyCiTi bus service.
“There is a lot of frustration and the situation is getting volatile. We are very concerned that our members may give expression to their anger by targeting bus transport that is still functioning. As union leadership, we can never condone this, but we have to accept realities and warn our members about possible threats to their safety,” Towu general secretary Tony Franks has warned.
MyCiTi have run a consistent, but reduced, service over the past week, unlike Golden Arrow, which has placed its buses under lockdown.
Kylie Hatton, spokeswoman for the city, said the service was possible because some drivers from the vehicle operating company which runs MyCiTi hailed from the taxi industry and were not affiliated to Towu or Satawu.
She expressed concern over what she called “veiled threats” from Towu, and said:
“If we believe that MyCiTi is under imminent threat of vandalism or attack, there would be little choice but to suspend the service.”
Cape Argus