The Public Utility Transport Corporation (Putco) said on Thursday morning it was in the process of finalising dismissal letters after a wildcat strike by drivers.
Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu said a team had worked throughout the night and the letters were expected to be finalised before the end of the day.
The unprotected strike started on September 1. Workers at Putco are demanding the company pay money and bonuses owed to them in terms of a 6% wage agreement signed in 2020, Sowetan reported.
Putco applied for an urgent court interdict on Friday, and an interim order was granted, interdicting workers from striking. The company then issued an ultimatum to the 1,000 striking workers to return to duty.
Putco had applied for exemption from the agreement in the SA Road Passenger Bargaining Council in 2020, due to the impact of Covid-19 on the business. A decision on this matter is being awaited from the labour court.
Xulu said passengers have been left stranded and having to spend more on finding alternative transport to travel to work.
“Some people are saying they are spending R120 a day. Yesterday when I was in New Canada I saw five walk-ins where people were saying, 'Can I just get reimbursement for my ticket that I bought because I don’t have money to go to work any more',” he said.
The company couldn’t even process the claims from the passengers in some areas because of the disruptions, said Xulu. Some of its business unit public relations officers are co-ordinating with the passengers so they can get reimbursed.
The SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), which is engaged in a court battle with Putco over the salary dispute, said on Thursday it had noted the dismissal threat with great concern.
“Satawu is negotiating and pleading with the employer not to dismiss its members,” said spokesperson Amanda Tshemese.
TimesLIVE
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