Nationwide bus strike almost certain to affect Easter weekend
Drivers targeted the long weekend in a desperate effort to get their employers’ attention, having been in fruitless negotiations since January
Striking bus drivers say they "targeted" the Easter travelling season to demand a salary increase of between 12% and 15% from their employers. The strike‚ which began on Wednesday morning‚ has seen thousands of commuters stranded nationwide. Taxi ranks have seen lengthy queues as bus commuters try to find alternative transport to work. If the strike continues, some long-distance commuters are likely to be affected too. On Tuesday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) was at the forefront of a march outside the Greyhound depot in Johannesburg. Greyhound bus driver Sibusiso Ntombela said the Easter travelling season is exactly what they needed to get a faster response from employers. "We targeted the Easter season on purpose. They need a push. They are only giving us the increase [over a three-year period]‚ but we demand 12 months for new negotiations. We are on action from today‚ until our needs are met. We are against the ‘foot on pedal’ [system]‚ which means that a driv...
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