Putco promises services to be fully operational despite strike

Bus company Putco has promised commuters that its services will be fully operational on Monday morning despite the ongoing strike by drivers.

The wheels of the Putco buses ground to a halt at the beginning of this month after drivers parked their vehicles and started an illegal wildcat strike due to wage and bonus disputes.

They are demanding a 6% wage increase and back pay for bonuses since 2020, but Putco applied for a partial exemption and offered the drivers a 3% increase instead.

ALSO READ: Putco strike: ‘Pay us what we’re due’

No end to strike

The angry and frustrated workers have accused Putco of shortchanging them and have vowed to continue with the strike until they are paid what is owed to them.

“We cannot work like this when they don’t want to pay us what we have earned,” the employee told The Citizen.

The company fired 105 bus drivers on Thursday for misconduct, intimidation and blocking the gates at several depots in Gauteng.

The employees were part of a group of more than 1000 workers who were issued letters of intention to dismiss on Monday.

Putco spokesperson Lindokuhle Xulu has assured over a hundred and fifty-thousand commuters that buses would be operational on Monday.

“They are pushing us to make these decisions. But we need to get to a time where we are operating now and that time will require us to be strong and fair in terms of making sure that we take disciplinary actions and necessary precautions to operate.”

Putco says sorry

Putco also issued an apology to customers for the inconvenience caused by the strike and offered them discounts on their fares.

“We once again apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience caused by the strike and would like to reiterate that reimbursements for unused trips will be processed by way of discounts and extended validity periods,” it said.

ALSO READ: Putco dismisses 105 workers after illegal protest action