STAFF of the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company downed tools on Wednesday after a deadlock in salary talks with their employer.
The cableway is the second most-visited tourist destination in the city.
About 120 South African Commercial Catering Workers Union (SACCAWU) members are demanding a 15 percent increase, while the company is offering a 10 percent increase to those earning less than R10 000 a month, and an 8 percent increase to those who earn more than that.
This follows other offers by the company, including a 9 percent increase.
Union regional secretary Crosby Booi accused the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company of making huge profits but only paying some employees R3 700 a month.
“They have been doing this for too long, and we have been compromising for too long. It’s time they meet our demands,” Booi said.
The employees picketed along the bottom of Tafelberg Road on Wednesday morning, and some visitors were turned away.
Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Company managing director Wahida Parker was tight-lipped about the company’s finances and said because it was a private company, it did not share financial information publicly.
“We do not believe a 15 percent across the board increase is sustainable. It is imperative that we ensure the long-term sustainability of the 176 permanent jobs that we provide at Cableway.
“In addition to this permanent staff complement, we increase our workforce during peak season by employing more than 100 seasonal workers, thus contributing to job creation,” Parker said.
According to Cape Town Tourism the cableway was the second most-visited destination in the city last year with 967 534 visitors.
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