Petrol attendants on a go slow
Striking petrol attendants in Randfontein are marching through town threatening to burn down any petrol stations that are operational.
Update: 10 September: Following a relatively peaceful start to the nationwide petrol attendants strike on 9 September, a large number of striking workers gathered at the Total Garage on Main Reef Road in the Randfontein CBD, vowing to stop all work at operating petrol stations in Randfontein.
Strikers threatened to burn down the Total garage should management and attendants not join the strike.
According to Africa Sehlabane who spoke on behalf of the strikers, they will declare war on other petrol attendants who are defeating the means of their strike by reporting to work.
“We are fed up of having to parade the streets in an effort to raise our frustrations while others report to work.
“We also want them to join in on the strike because we will all benefit should negotiations come out fruitful with our employers,”
“We want a situation where an injury to one is an injury to all in terms of salaries,” says Sehlabane.
Meanwhile, the Randfontein Traffic Department together with the Randfontein SAPS are monitoring the situation
The Herald visited numerous petrol stations since the start of the strike and discovered that other petrol attendants are hard at work filling up petrol tanks in casual clothes and want no involvement with the strike.
However, they have expressed to the Herald that the strike is getting out of hand and they fear that they might be caught in the line of fire.
So much so that the management at Sasol Garage on Kenneth Road refused the Herald an opportunity to do an interview with a petrol attendant.
Those attendants that did speak to the Herald expressed concerns that they may be intimidated or even beaten, or worse, should they get caught by strikers while at work.
Meanwhile, the striking workers on Main Reef road are making their way to the different petrol stations accross Randfontein and traffic through the CBD has come to a standstill.
Watch this space as this story develops.
9 September: Fears that a strike by petrol attendants country-wide could have a major impact on motorists and the petroleum industry have apparently not panned out in Randfontein as an investigation by the Herald shows that it’s business as usual at most petrol stations across Randfontein.
This as approximately 7000 petrol attendants across the country embark on a nationwide strike in demand of a double digit pay increase.
Workers have told the Herald that they will continue working, although not in their uniforms, to avoid intimidation by striking workers.
The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has announced that thousands of workers in the motor industry which includes panel beaters, car and spare parts dealers as well as workers at component retailers will join in on the strike.
NUMSA General Secretary Irvin Jim says that employers were given notice of the strike in advance.
“Regrettably, employers took a very irresponsible stance by pulling back from the engagements which were intended to avert the strike,”
“Employers were unhappy with Numsa’s decision to issue a 48 hour notice to strike.” Says Jim.
Currently petrol workers earn approximately R700 a week.
