This comes after the majority of UNTU members working for the Gautrain voted in favour of a strike at an UNTU mass meeting that at the Midrand Station on Monday.

The meeting was to obtain a mandate from UNTU members after the Commission for Arbitration, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) issued the union with a strike certificate last week after the deadlock in the wage negotiations could not be resolved.

UNTU is demanding the following:

• Basic Salary 10 per cent
• Housing allowance R1 600
• Transport allowance R800 or staff card usage for office workers
• NWTS R64 an hour
• Night shift allowance to be increased by 10 per cent
• Medical aid contribution 55% employer/45 per cent employee
Incentive bonuses R20 000 for all employees

“In accordance with South Africa’s Constitution and Labour legislation, UNTU members at the Gautrain has no alternative than to embark on a protected strike to try and force their employer to agree to their demands. It is UNTU’s last resort,” said Steve Harris, general secretary of UNTU.

This will be the first time Gautrain employees will strike over wages.