More than 1,000 NTI employees strike over unpaid salaries

More than 1 000 employees from the state-owned bus company, Northwest Transport Investments (NTI), have been on strike for months after their salaries were not paid for four months, and their provident funds lapsed.

A driver, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of victimisation, said they stopped work in April as the company did not pay them for several months.

Employees owed salaries

He said they were paid in July but many are owed 50% of their salaries, while others are owed their full salaries for four months.

ALSO READ: No salaries for Ditsobotla employees as municipality’s downward spiral continues

“This year alone we have been paid for six months, the company is owing us for the other four months,” said the driver.

“Our provident funds have lapsed, but money is being deducted from our salaries claiming to pay for provident funds. We were told that our provident funds were spent on diesel. The company is dependent on contractors for buses.”

Business rescue

The NTI was placed under business rescue last year by the North West provincial government.

“I might be able to raise the other 50% if workers agree to work only until Cosatma (the department of community safety and transport management) funding comes through,” said senior business rescue practitioner Thomas Samons.

ALSO READ: EC Health Department accused of paying R67 million in salaries despite hospital closure

According to a circular by Samons to employees, NTI said it was aware of the suffering and hardship caused by the non-payment’s of salaries.

“We have both sympathy and empathy with employees on a humanitarian level. We are actively engaging with Cosatma to maximise the payment to employees,” read the circular.

The NTI has depots in Hammanskraal, Temba and Mabopane, and the protest has affected thousands of passengers from there, and from Pretoria and Midrand.

General secretary of the South African Workers Union (Sawu-Ya Bashumi), Dave Lebusa Mamaregane, told The Citizen that 1 300 workers have not been paid for four months.

ALSO READ: SOE bailouts soar to R400 billion as CEOs rake in lavish salaries

“Workers were only paid half their salaries of the month of July. We have since downed our tools. We will only resume our duties if the company commits to paying the employees their full salaries, they must give us the date and honour it, period,” he charged.