15,000 African freight workers expected to end strike
Three of the South African freight unions are expected to suspend strike action tomorrow, according to Magretia Brown-Engelbrecht, spokesperson for the Road Freight Employers’ Association (RFEA).
A spokesperson said that the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), which is the major freight labour group, was not party to the agreement forged between the three smaller unions, namely the Transport and Allied Workers Union of South Africa, Motor Transport Workers Union and the Professional Transport Workers Union.
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According to Brown-Engelbrecht, the unions, including SATAWU, are still in talks with employees, with ‘no firm offer on the table’.
Despite engaging in negotiations, SATAWU have not suspended their strike action, which has been in place since last month, when workers ‘downed tools’, demanding a wage increase of 12 percent.
The employers’ body, Road Freight Employers’ Association was offering an increase of six percent, according to earlier reports. The strike, which has involved violence and intimidation, has left supermarket shelves and petrol pumps empty, according to the African media.
