March 4, 2003
By Thomas Thale
Hopes for a speedy resolution to the bus strike were dashed on Tuesday as both management and workers dug in their heals, showing little sign of softening their respective positions.
As the strike entered its sixth day, striking workers gathered outside Transport House in Milpark to hear the company's response to their demands, closing the entire Raikes Road to the public.
In its response to the memorandum from workers which was delivered on Friday, Metrobus threatened to apply for a court interdict to force workers to return to work. Describing the strike as "improper" and "unprocedural", Metrobus questioned the legality of the strike and maintained that spread over shifts are crucial for the bus company to carry out its operations.
The company signaled some willingness to compromise on the shift issue, saying it is "committed to achieving a shift system that is fair and caring towards workers". If the strike turns out to be legally unprotected, management said, striking workers would face disciplinary action.
The bus drivers last Thursday heeded a call by the two representative unions, the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) and the Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu), to embark on a strike in protest against the newly introduced shift system.
In its memorandum, management expressed surprise that workers were now tabling new issues in addition to the original demand for a change in the shift system. Management denied that there were long-service workers who remain on temporary contracts and challenged the union to provide more information in this regard.
The company rejected calls from the union for the company to stop all dismissals and suspensions and withdraws pending cases against workers. "Discipline is important for an organisation to operate effectively", said the company in a memo. The memo described union statements accusing management of sowing divisions among workers as "defamatory" and threatened legal action against those making such accusations.
The company called on workers to return to work before negotiations can resume.
Ephraim Thavhakhulu, spokesperson for SAMWU in Johannesburg dismissed the company response, saying it "only provokes the workers. We will only return to work once all our demands have been met", he said to loud applause from the gathered workers. The defiant drivers vowed to continue indefinitely with their strike before dispersing peacefully.
