“The City of Joburg regrets to announce that Rea Vaya services have been suspended due to the strike by drivers employed by the Phase 1A and Phase 1B bus operating companies, Piotrans and Litsamaiso respectively,” it said in a statement.
Rea Vaya services were operating at limited capacity on 31 March after the bus drivers worked from 5am, but returned the buses at 8.30am.
There were on-going efforts to minimise the impact by the bus companies that manage the operations of Rea Vaya buses. The employers had entered into negotiations with the drivers which they believed were positive.
However, drivers had not returned to work and the employers approached the labour court for an urgent interdict declaring the strike illegal.
The matter was expected to be heard on 3 April at 10am, but employers were hopeful that they would not have to resort to court action.
Piotrans spokesperson Dumisani Mntambo said, “The understanding is that the strike might end today [1 April], in which case court action will not be necessary.”
This follows a meeting between the drivers and their unions on 31 March, after which the unions sent their responses to the employer’s attorneys to review, Mntambo said, adding that agreements seemed positive.
Piotrans noted that it regarded the strike as illegal due to the nature of the strike demands.
The bus drivers began strike action over issues including the banning of labour brokers, a review of the code of conduct, and senior staff members wanting to be able to choose their shifts.
However, Mntambo said the company had only been in operation for four years and none of the drivers were deemed as senior.
Meanwhile, Rea Vaya commuters were advised to use alternative transport.
Passengers were assured that any funds loaded onto Rea Vaya smart cards would remain valid until the services resume.
