Four buses were stoned and two drivers were injured in the Johannesburg CBD when the strike started on Tuesday. On Wednesday morning five windows of a bus were broken after it was stoned en route to Gandhi Square after departing from the Roodepoort depot. No-one was injured.
Negotiations deadlocked on Wednesday‚ but will resume on Thursday at 8am.
Demawusa spokesperson Dion Makhura said their demands to the bus company included: – Increasing salaries in line with the number years an employee has been employed; – Increasing the salaries of new employees to the Metrobus salary scale; – Paying long service bonuses of a month’s salary multiplied by the number of years an employee has been employed when they resign‚ retire or die; – Removing employees who have been in acting positions for more than three months and filling these vacancies with permanent appointments within three months; and – Removing all ticketing machines and replacing them with cashless machines.
Metrobus said in a statement that the South African Municipal Workers’ Union (Samwu) and Independent Municipal and Allied Trade Union (Imatu) have meanwhile continued to provide transport services on a small scale despite members being intimidated.
Metrobus advised commuters to make alternative travel arrangements while negotiations continue.
