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Cape Town – While Gauteng drivers might be an hour or two late for work, striking contract workers blocking the N1 freeway say they haven’t had a pay increase in four years.
At 10:00 on Tuesday, Google Maps indicated that a 55km drive from Sandton to Pretoria would take one-and-a-half hours, nearly double the normal time. One driver tweeted that he spent two-and-a-half hours in traffic.
The strike also caused a delay in proceedings at the board of inquiry into allegations of misconduct by suspended National Police Commissioner General Riah Phiyega, which was set to start in Centurion on Tuesday, News24 journalist Mpho Raborife reports.
READ: Inquiry into Phiyega's fitness to hold office gets underway
This is as a result of South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) members responsible for clearing up accident scenes on Gauteng roads embarking on a strike.
Workers employed by traffic incidents management company, Teti Traffic, are protesting the deadlock in the current round of wage increase negotiations which started in October 2015.
Workers are demanding a wage increase as they have not received one since they started working for the company in 2012, when the Sanral contract was awarded, Satawu spokesperson Zanele Sabela told Fin24 on Tuesday.
“With food inflation caused by the drought starting to take effect, we don’t think it is proper that they still get paid the same,” she said.
While the employees are looking for a 130% increase, Sabela said the employers should realise they are trying to close the gap on medical aid, provident fund and a 13th cheque.
WATCH: News24Live gets close to the action
She said while Teti told media it will give staff a 7% increase, it will in fact give a 0% increase.
Employees earn between R4 325 and R16 000.
Teti Traffic is a service provider of the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and manages all traffic incidents including clearing up accident scenes on behalf of the roads agency.
Satawu members, which served Teti with a notice of intention to strike on Thursday last week, will hand over the memorandum of demands to the employer at Rietspruit Circle in Midrand on Tuesday.
Both parties will continue negotiations at the Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration on Wednesday in terms of Section 150 of the Labour Relations. The section provides for the appointment of a commissioner to help settle the dispute in the interest of the public.
Teti had not responded to media queries by the time of going to press.
Tweets from the scene:
