Bloody transport strike enters fourth day

Johannesburg - The countrywide road freight workers strike is to continue on Thursday as no resolution was reached during wage talks on Wednesday, the Road Freight Employers Association (FREA) said.

"The meeting ended at 20:40 and we agreed to resume talks tomorrow morning," said spokesperson Magretia Brown-Engelbrecht.

"The aim of both parties is to finalise talks tomorrow."

At 17:00, the wage offer made to striking workers was increased to eight percent across the board but the four unions involved in the strike did not accept it.

"The employers have just increased the offer by 0.5% but that is ridiculous," said SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) spokesperson Zenzo Mahlangu.

"We are not on strike for just 0.5 - we will not accept it. I hope they will shift with upward figures soon... otherwise we won't stop striking," Mahlangu told Sapa.

Initially, the RFEA offered an increase of 7.5% across the board for 2011 and a further 7.5% increase for 2012.

The unions - the Transport and Allied Workers Union of SA, the Professional Transport Workers Union, Satawu, and the Motor Transport Workers Union - are demanding a 20% increase allocated over a two-year period, for example 10% in 2011 and 10% in 2012.

The disruptive countrywide strike, in which several people were injured, entered its third day on Wednesday.

About 65 000 workers were participating in it.

Union members earlier marched through central Johannesburg and delivered a memorandum to the RFEA.

Police Minister Nathi Mthethwa was prompted to issue a warning to protesters that acts of intimidation and violence would not be tolerated.

It came in the wake of alleged intimidation and the destruction of property allegedly by striking truck drivers.