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Johannesburg - A 55-year-old man was severely injured on Tuesday after his freight truck was attacked, allegedly by striking workers, Ekurhuleni metro police said.
Inspector Mveli Nhlapo said a trucking crew was attacked along Nile Road in Olifantsfontein before midday.
The truck was stoned and the crew beaten.
A man was taken to the Tembisa Hospital with severe injuries. Two other trucks were burnt in Olifantsfontein and another near Tembisa.
Nhlapo said the drivers of the three trucks may have fled for their safety because they were not found near the trucks.
The SABC reported that picketing SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) members attacked a poultry truck in Salt River.
The report said the group of about 100 people brandished knobkerries, bricks and golf clubs, They blocked a street and smashed the windows of the truck. They then chased the two drivers.
Striking freight unions were meeting their employers on Tuesday to resolve a wage dispute leading to countrywide industrial action.
Four people were injured when police fired rubber bullets on protesters in downtown Johannesburg on Monday, during a demonstration by truckers who attacked non-strikers and damaged their vehicles.
The four unions involved in the strike include the Transport and Allied Workers Union of SA, the Professional Transport Workers Union (PTWU), Satawu and the Motor Transport Workers Union.
PTWU general secretary Reckson Baloyi said he was not aware of the incidents and added that members were told to refrain from intimidating non-striking workers.
"We don't believe that people will be harassing other people," he said.
The three other unions could not immediately be reached for comment.
The unions are demanding a 20% increase allocated over the same two-year period, for example 10% in 2011 and 10% in 2012.
However, the Road Freight Employers Association was offering an increase of 7.5% across the board for 2011 and a further 7.5% increase for 2012.
All four unions said they would negotiate on the 10% increase, but would not easily go below 8.5%.
The last freight strike was in 2009. It lasted a week and turned violent. Non-striking truck drivers were shot at, stoned, and forced to flee their damaged vehicles.
Inspector Mveli Nhlapo said a trucking crew was attacked along Nile Road in Olifantsfontein before midday.
The truck was stoned and the crew beaten.
A man was taken to the Tembisa Hospital with severe injuries. Two other trucks were burnt in Olifantsfontein and another near Tembisa.
Nhlapo said the drivers of the three trucks may have fled for their safety because they were not found near the trucks.
The SABC reported that picketing SA Transport and Allied Workers' Union (Satawu) members attacked a poultry truck in Salt River.
The report said the group of about 100 people brandished knobkerries, bricks and golf clubs, They blocked a street and smashed the windows of the truck. They then chased the two drivers.
Striking freight unions were meeting their employers on Tuesday to resolve a wage dispute leading to countrywide industrial action.
Four people were injured when police fired rubber bullets on protesters in downtown Johannesburg on Monday, during a demonstration by truckers who attacked non-strikers and damaged their vehicles.
The four unions involved in the strike include the Transport and Allied Workers Union of SA, the Professional Transport Workers Union (PTWU), Satawu and the Motor Transport Workers Union.
PTWU general secretary Reckson Baloyi said he was not aware of the incidents and added that members were told to refrain from intimidating non-striking workers.
"We don't believe that people will be harassing other people," he said.
The three other unions could not immediately be reached for comment.
The unions are demanding a 20% increase allocated over the same two-year period, for example 10% in 2011 and 10% in 2012.
However, the Road Freight Employers Association was offering an increase of 7.5% across the board for 2011 and a further 7.5% increase for 2012.
All four unions said they would negotiate on the 10% increase, but would not easily go below 8.5%.
The last freight strike was in 2009. It lasted a week and turned violent. Non-striking truck drivers were shot at, stoned, and forced to flee their damaged vehicles.
