Johannesburg - Drivers operating feeder buses to the
Gautrain went on strike Monday, only six days after a new link between
Johannesburg and Pretoria opened, an official said.
"We don't have any buses running this morning but the
trains are operating as normal," Errol Braithwaite, a spokesperson for the
Bombela Operating Company, which runs the service, told AFP.
The drivers are demanding a wage increase from R4 600 to R5
000 a month, a transport allowance and medical aid.
The drivers have complained that, in comparison to their
wages, train drivers earn about R21 000 per month.
"We hope it will only be a one-day strike. We hope it
will be sorted today," said Braithwaite.
The Gautrain link between the country's commercial hub
Johannesburg and Pretoria was opened on August 2.
The first route was opened on June 8 2010, just in time for
the Fifa World Cup, between Sandton, north of Johannesburg, and OR Tambo
International Airport.
- AFP