Shipping News South Africa

No end to truck strike as negotiations continue

As the truck drivers' strike entered its third day, fewer than 5000 strikers continued their protest on the streets of Johannesburg.

They handed a memorandum of their demands to the Road Freight Employers' Association.

The association's regional secretary, Ernest Buthelezi, received the document but said he was not confident that the strike would be resolved soon.

He said that the SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union and employer representatives were still locked in negotiations.

Speaking to the crowd outside the offices of the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry, Satawu's Gauteng chairman, Ephraim Mphahlele, said: "They must stop their nonsense and pay workers.

"The sooner they work in the interest of the country the better."

A demand for 'six months of fully paid maternity leave' was received with a loud cheer by the protesters, though not mentioned in the memorandum.

Ben Mohajane, a striking UTi Sun Couriers driver, said: "They overcharge customers ... We are making millions for the company and they are paying us less than R4000 [a month] ... The company's profit in financial statements for the year 2009-2010 was R130-million."

Junior Nxumalo of Kelly Couriers, said: "We work 14 hours a day. We have no form of transportation ... When we work late we are forced to sleep in the toilets because we have no transport to take us home."

Source: The Times

Source: I-Net Bridge

For more than two decades, I-Net Bridge has been one of South Africa’s preferred electronic providers of innovative solutions, data of the highest calibre, reliable platforms and excellent supporting systems. Our products include workstations, web applications and data feeds packaged with in-depth news and powerful analytical tools empowering clients to make meaningful decisions.

We pride ourselves on our wide variety of in-house skills, encompassing multiple platforms and applications. These skills enable us to not only function as a first class facility, but also design, implement and support all our client needs at a level that confirms I-Net Bridge a leader in its field.

Go to: http://www.inet.co.za
Let's do Biz