Durban - The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has announced that it will engage its members to discuss the revised bus offer package proposed by the employer.
This emerged after the union announced it would temporarily suspend its strike action after the employers tabled a revised offer which would be distributed to the striking members for their consideration.
The union said that decision was taken after engagement meetings with employer associations in the bus passenger sector, the South African Bus Employers Association (SABEA) and the Commuter Bus Employer Association (COBEA).
The union had secured a strike certificate after wage talks deadlocked last month, with the cooling-off period ending on April 14, just before the Easter weekend.
Numsa is demanding an increase in salaries from the lowest-paid worker’s salary from R7 800 to R12 000 per month.
Numsa spokesperson Phamakamile Hlubi-Majola said: “We met yesterday, on Monday, and again on Tuesday for mediation under the auspices of the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBAC).
“The employers have proposed a percentage increase of 4.5% across the board, and this includes allowances. They have also agreed to withdraw the threat of only implementing increases for those workers who are currently employed as of March 31, 2022, which means the increases would also be applicable to those who join the company after,” she said.
Hlubi-Majola added: “Had they done this, it would have created a two-tier system where some workers earn more than others for the same work. This was a major sticking point in negotiations, and we are glad the employer is proposing to withdraw that demand.”
She said the union did not agree with the proposal and that they were canvassing their members over the proposal.
“We will be giving feedback on this on April 22 when we meet with the SARPBAC. Up until now, the employer had not made any concessions and had made no compromises, even though we had dropped our demands.
“As a result of this shift in attitude, we have decided not to embark on strike action this weekend, ahead of the Good Friday Easter Weekend. We will be engaging our members to find out how they feel about the proposal.
“This does not mean that we will not strike at a later stage if we are unhappy with the proposal. The possibility of strike action remains, as long as we have not signed an agreement with the employer,” she said.
The union said it would spend the next few days engaging with its members in order to get a mandate on the proposed offer.
Daily News