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Johannesburg - The Road Freight Employers' Association (RFEA), which represents road freight and logistics companies, and trade unions are scheduled to meet on Tuesday to try to resolve the wage standoff that has erupted into a strike.
General freight and logistics workers started a strike on Sunday, while cash-in-transit employees joined the industrial action on Monday.
The strike threatens to disrupt deliveries of goods to retailers and affect the delivery of cash to ATMs.
The association said on Monday morning that about 32 000 workers are on strike, incorporating cash-in-transit workers, road ferry trucks, furniture trucks and regular long-distance truck drivers.
Unions have lowered their wage demand from 20% to 10% over two years. The employers' offer stands at 7.5%.
Solomon Mothibedi, national coordinator for the Motor Transport Workers' Union (MTWU), which represents just over 10 000 workers, said that the parties, unions and the RFEA, were due to meet on Tuesday.
"We are meeting tomorrow," Mothibedi said.
The RFEA was not available to confirm the meeting.
Strike turns violent
The RFEA and four unions, which represent 56% of the industry's 70 000 workers, hit a deadlock in November 2010 at the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry during wage negotiations.
On December 15, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) issued the strike certificate.
Non-striking truck drivers were reportedly being intimidated in and around Johannesburg at the start of nationwide mass action by the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) on Monday.
Police fired rubber bullets at striking truckers, injuring four of them, in downtown Johannesburg on Monday morning when a gathering turned violent.
"We advise that truck drivers avoid downtown Johannesburg because things are violent there," said Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar.
He said strikers had smashed the windows of 10 trucks, pulled drivers out of their vehicles and forced them to join the march.
The situation was brought under control by early afternoon when strikers waved makeshift knobkerries as they marched down De Korte Street in Braamfontein.
Transport and Allied Workers' Union of SA (Tawusa) general secretary Zack Mankge said workers from other unions would join the strike on Tuesday.
General freight and logistics workers started a strike on Sunday, while cash-in-transit employees joined the industrial action on Monday.
The strike threatens to disrupt deliveries of goods to retailers and affect the delivery of cash to ATMs.
The association said on Monday morning that about 32 000 workers are on strike, incorporating cash-in-transit workers, road ferry trucks, furniture trucks and regular long-distance truck drivers.
Unions have lowered their wage demand from 20% to 10% over two years. The employers' offer stands at 7.5%.
Solomon Mothibedi, national coordinator for the Motor Transport Workers' Union (MTWU), which represents just over 10 000 workers, said that the parties, unions and the RFEA, were due to meet on Tuesday.
"We are meeting tomorrow," Mothibedi said.
The RFEA was not available to confirm the meeting.
Strike turns violent
The RFEA and four unions, which represent 56% of the industry's 70 000 workers, hit a deadlock in November 2010 at the National Bargaining Council for the Road Freight and Logistics Industry during wage negotiations.
On December 15, the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) issued the strike certificate.
Non-striking truck drivers were reportedly being intimidated in and around Johannesburg at the start of nationwide mass action by the South African Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) on Monday.
Police fired rubber bullets at striking truckers, injuring four of them, in downtown Johannesburg on Monday morning when a gathering turned violent.
"We advise that truck drivers avoid downtown Johannesburg because things are violent there," said Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar.
He said strikers had smashed the windows of 10 trucks, pulled drivers out of their vehicles and forced them to join the march.
The situation was brought under control by early afternoon when strikers waved makeshift knobkerries as they marched down De Korte Street in Braamfontein.
Transport and Allied Workers' Union of SA (Tawusa) general secretary Zack Mankge said workers from other unions would join the strike on Tuesday.
