A meeting with the Democratic Municipal and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (Demawusa), who represents striking Metrobus employees, has been set for 13 June while the strike continues indefinitely.
This according to the union’s Dion Makhura, who said they have already backed down on many of their demands, including investigating ‘union-bashing’ of Demawusa members by Metrobus managers.
Makhura said the union is being reasonable but feels the bus company is not bringing their part.
Negotiations with Demawusa, who represents less than half of Metrobus employees, started last week and collapsed on Wednesday.
Metro police have now also been deployed to all Metrobus routes in Joburg to ensure the safety of passengers as negotiations continue between the bus company and the union.
Metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar confirmed that even though he could not confirm if any incidents had taken place to compromise passengers’ safety, officers will continue to monitor all routes.
Metrobus spokesperson Goodwill Shivuri could not be reached for comment by the time of publishing, but he did speak to various media outlets earlier today, confirming the Metro police presence.
He told Jacaranda FM that the matter has since been referred to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) and that the strike continues.
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