Johannesburg —Workers affiliated with the National Union of Metalworkers South Africa (NUMSA) have begun an indefinite strike after they demanded a 13% wage increase.
The demand for this increase has been ongoing since April from the Bombela Operating Company (BOC), which also operates the Gautrain.
NUMSA released a statement on Sunday, saying it served Bombela with a 48-hour notice of an indefinite strike after the negotiation talks remained deadlocked.
NUMSA said the company refused to meet their demands which also include 60% medical aid contribution by the company, and compensation after the company announced a 6-day operation.
It also said it felt as though the BOC does not treat workers fairly.
“BOC has become hostile to the union and this led to management unilaterally withdrawing the recognition agreement that we had with the company. We demand full-time shop stewards so that they can represent workers in disciplinary inquiries,” it said.
The strike began at 6am on Monday and NUMSA apologised beforehand for any inconvenience caused but said they needed to take this drastic course of action.
NUMSA members are out in full force at #Gautrain. They are on an indefinite strike to demand guaranteed bonuses as part of their demands. Bosses at Gautrain are greedy. They rewarded themselves with bonuses but did not give ordinary workers the same.#WorkersUnite@IrvinJimSA pic.twitter.com/8b5Xpn7TVg
— NUMSA (@Numsa_Media) July 8, 2024
According to The Citizen, the BOC said Gautrain’s services would not be disrupted and operations would continue as usual.
“The BOC has implemented contingency plans to ensure that Gautrain customers are not adversely affected by the planned strike. Numsa members announced their plans to embark on a protected strike from Monday due to an impasse regarding wage negotiations. We will keep customers updated in this regard.” BOC spokesperson, Kesagee Nayager, said.
Gautrain’s Management spoke to Newzroom Afrika and said they were not concerned about the strike as operations are continuing and gave an update on the handling of the situation.
“NUMSA is actually working with BOC, we are the asset owner and our biggest concern is keeping the commuter moving, to us that remains the prime objective. What we have said over and over again is returning to the table to negotiate becomes the most important thing to do,” Gautrain Management Agency CEO, Tshepo Kgobe, said.
He added that staff is in place to work for both the morning and evening shifts but the goal remains to settle negotiations with NUMSA.
[WATCH] Workers affiliated with NUMSA are currently on strike over a number of issues, including wage increases. Gautrain Management Agency CEO Tshepo Kgobe updates on the impact of the ongoing strike on commuters.
Watch: https://t.co/h3YBz11Kqd#Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/XxihM2JRNB
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) July 8, 2024
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Compiled by Matthew Petersen
