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Cape Town - There is no need for motorists in the Free State to worry about filling up their tanks, writes a Fin24 user.
"Casuals are on the petrol pumps" and there is "no need to worry".
Free State metal workers and petrol attendants marched for better wages in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
At the Bloemfontein march union members carried placards saying: “Just R30 per hour” and “Just double digits, is that to much”, according to Sapa.
Up to 70 000 people work as petrol attendant’s across the country.
On Thursday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) rejected a revised offer of a 7.5% wage increase for petrol attendants and car repair workers.
The union has demanded, among other things, a R30 an hour across the board increase by 2016 on actual rates of pay in all sectors and divisions for workers earning above R6 000 a month.
While negotiations to bring the strike to an end are set to continue, an expert has warned that the jobs of petrol attendants could be on the line.
The strike by petrol attendants is alerting the public, the employers and the oil companies of the fact that those jobs could easily become redundant, said Michael Bagraim, a labour law expert and chairperson of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry's human resources portfolio committee.
"We are talking about thousands of people and for each job we have in South Africa this person looks after five or six people. The knock on effect would be enormous," Bagraim told Fin24.
The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) has also warned motorists not to fill up their petrol tanks themselves.
"There are specific laws that make filling your own tank at a petrol station illegal," the organisation said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Section 2A(5)(b) of the Petroleum Products Act clearly forbids self-service by consumers of prescribed petroleum products on the premises of a licensed retailer.
"In addition, there are various health and safety matters to consider," the AA said.
- Fin24
"Casuals are on the petrol pumps" and there is "no need to worry".
Free State metal workers and petrol attendants marched for better wages in Bloemfontein on Thursday.
At the Bloemfontein march union members carried placards saying: “Just R30 per hour” and “Just double digits, is that to much”, according to Sapa.
Up to 70 000 people work as petrol attendant’s across the country.
On Thursday, the National Union of Metalworkers of SA (Numsa) rejected a revised offer of a 7.5% wage increase for petrol attendants and car repair workers.
The union has demanded, among other things, a R30 an hour across the board increase by 2016 on actual rates of pay in all sectors and divisions for workers earning above R6 000 a month.
While negotiations to bring the strike to an end are set to continue, an expert has warned that the jobs of petrol attendants could be on the line.
The strike by petrol attendants is alerting the public, the employers and the oil companies of the fact that those jobs could easily become redundant, said Michael Bagraim, a labour law expert and chairperson of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry's human resources portfolio committee.
"We are talking about thousands of people and for each job we have in South Africa this person looks after five or six people. The knock on effect would be enormous," Bagraim told Fin24.
The Bothaville Caltex station in the Free State. (Fin24 user)
The Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) has also warned motorists not to fill up their petrol tanks themselves.
"There are specific laws that make filling your own tank at a petrol station illegal," the organisation said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Section 2A(5)(b) of the Petroleum Products Act clearly forbids self-service by consumers of prescribed petroleum products on the premises of a licensed retailer.
"In addition, there are various health and safety matters to consider," the AA said.
A casual petrol attendant manning assists a motorist. (Fin24 user)
- Fin24
