National Bus strike looms unless employers put a meaningful offer on the table
3 April 2023
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) is preparing for a national strike in the Bus Passenger sector, and it is likely to start ahead of the Easter long weekend. The employers, who are represented by South African Bus Employers Association (SABEA) and the Commuters Bus Employers Organisation (COBEA), are provoking the strike. We have been trying to negotiate with employers since January through the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council SARPBAC, and we declared a dispute in February, but employers are stubbornly refusing to give workers a meaningful increase. The issue which has triggered the strike, is that the employer refuses to negotiate health insurance benefits. Workers in the sector do not have any kind of medical aid or medical insurance at all.
We have obtained a certificate to strike certificate, and if the employers do not come back to the negotiating table, we will have no choice but to resort to a full blown strike and this is likely to impact the upcoming Easter Weekend.
The only official proposal on the table is the mediator’s proposal which is broken down as follows:
- Two year agreement from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2025
- 7% increase for year one and year two on the minimum wage
- All employees will receive 7% increase on all allowances for two years
- On the demand for health insurance, or (primary healthcare as it is referred to in the proposed agreement), the employers want that issue to be dealt with at company or plant level, and not to negotiate it at the National Bargaining Forum (NBF).
We wish to state upfront that the mediator’s proposal does not reflect the position of the majority of unions. NUMSA is the majority union in the bus passenger sector, and we did not endorse the proposal. However, despite our misgivings about how this was done, we welcome the opportunity to engage the proposal and hope that we can make adjustments to some of the proposal so that it comes closer to meeting some of our demands.
Both employers made an offer directly to employees of 6% increase for 3 years. This proposal is conditional upon workers dropping the demand for medical insurance. Employers did not table it at the NBF which is the formally recognized structure for negotiations. This is because they do not respect centralized bargaining and they have undermined the NBF at every turn. For this they must be condemned, and we have rejected their proposal.
Medical insurance is a life and death matter for our members, the majority of whom, cannot afford medical aid on their salaries. The lowest paid workers is earning on average about R7800 per month therefore, medical aid is unaffordable. It is a well-known fact that public hospitals and clinics are collapsing and this is why we are demanding medical aid. Hospitals and clinics are drastically short staffed and under resourced therefore, workers want to be able to access private healthcare. If this issue is deferred to the plants, it means the likelihood of the majority of workers achieving this benefit is very low. Most companies will refuse to grant the benefit and this is why we want this matter to be resolved in this round of negotiations, at a national level.
Whilst we understand that many commuters will be inconvenienced by the strike, we urge them to direct their frustrations to COBEA and SABEA who have shown that they do not care at all about how this will inconvenience the public. We urge communities to make alternative plans for the long weekend, because the strike is likely to disrupt services.
We have proposed an urgent meeting with employers, preferably within the next 48 hours. The ball is in their court if they wish to avert a disaster.
Aluta continua!
The struggle continues!
Issued by Irvin Jim, NUMSA General Secretary, 3 April 2023
