Pretoria - Members of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) will march to the City of Tshwane on Friday to demand a transport allowance for workers in the A Re Yeng bus service.
The union said a transport allowance was a burning issue for its members and they have been raising the demand for a transport allowance and for safe, reliable transportation for a long time but they have been ignored.
“Workers start their shifts at 4am and knock off after 9pm. It is virtually impossible to get reliable transport at that time and, to make matters worse, it is not safe at all, especially for female workers. This is not just about money, it is a life-and-death issue,” said Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola.
“We want to apologise in advance to commuters and to the public for the inconvenience that this march may cause. We would like them to understand that our members have no choice but to resort to protest action,” said Hlubi-Majola.
On Wednesday, aggrieved workers of Extremetec, an agency responsible for fare collection for the City’s bus service, demonstrated at bus stations on Church Square and in Hatfield.
They said they want the City to come on board to assist or compel their employer to give them a transport allowance or make one available.
They also want the City to make their employer agree to offer the workers a night shift allowance of R60 per hour, arguing that work done after 6pm is considered night shift, according to the laws of the country.
Frederick Mabaso said the workers also demanded that the employer offer them medical aid cover and subsidise 80% of the policy. He said they had already found companies willing to offer the workers cover of between R300 and R900.
IOL