Services to resume as #BusStrike comes to an end

NEWSWATCH: Bus services are set to resume today, Tuesday, 15 May 2018 as the national bus strike by more than 17,000 drivers finally comes to an end.

By Ilse van den Berg

15 May 2018

Services to resume as #BusStrike comes to an end

In Gauteng, the bus strike brought Rea Vaya, the Gautrain, Putco and Megabus to a standstill, whereas commuters in Cape Town who use the MyCiti and Golden Arrow bus services were severely affected.

The motion was supported by the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union, the Transport and Allied Workers Union of South Africa, the Transport and Omnibus Workers Union, the National Union of Mineworkers of South Africa and the Tirisano Transport and Services Workers Union.

Agreement

The South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council has confirmed an agreement has been reached. Last week, all unions involved agreed to a 9% wage increase in the first year and 8% to be implemented from April 2019. There will also be allowances‚ including nightshift and subsistence‚ over both years.

"Employers finally agreed to backdate the offer for it to be implemented on 1 April 2018. This was a sticking point which initially prevented us from ending the strike on Friday. After much lobbying we finally convinced the employers to backdate the implementation of the offer‚” the unions said in a joint statement on Monday.

Bus drivers are officially expected to return to work on Wednesday‚ 16 May 2018, although most might be back at work today.

"Unfortunately the early morning bus service will not be available due to a bus driver meeting taking place. We will advise as soon as the buses depart for the respective stops. We apologise for the inconvenience this may cause".
Message from @TheGautrain #BusStrike
— The Diplomat (@Benji_Seitlhamo) May 15, 2018

Happy to see the @MyCiTiBus services back up and running. @CityofCT @KFMza @CapeTalk #BusStrike pic.twitter.com/uAocy7AJOo— Ryan Lee Warner (@RyanLeeWarner) May 15, 2018

Best would be to keep an eye on Twitter's #BusStrike hashtag and to contact bus service call centres to find out when buses will be fully operational in various areas.

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Ilse Burger

About Ilse van den Berg

Ilse is a freelance journalist and editor with a passion for people & their stories (check out Passing Stories). She is also the editor of Go & Travel, a platform connecting all the stakeholders in the travel & tourism industry. You can check out her work here and here. Contact Ilse through her website here.