Strikers retaliate with pertrol bomb
2011-02-17
Lise Beyers
LOCAL transport companies were almost paralysed this past week, when a national road freight workers’ strike was implemented. The strike kicked off on Sunday morning with local police and traffic authorities having their hands full when strikers affiliated to the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) tried to force truck-drivers to pull over at the toll gate of the Huguenot tunnel. On Monday strikers picketed outside Wellington transport companies, Anderson Transport and Kearley’s. But on Monday evening the situation turned violent when a truck was almost set alight outside Paarl Media in Jan van Riebeeck Drive. At 21:30 unknown men hurled a petrol bomb at the truck, while the driver was asleep inside. Security personnel saw the incident and were almost immediately at hand to douse the flames. Striking workers are demanding a 25% increase on the minimum wage spread over two years, 20% increase on all other wages also spread over two years, a ban on labour brokers, and the improvement of all benefits. According to truck drivers who are employed by Wellington transport companies, they are tired of working for peanuts. Jacobus Minnaar, shop-steward at Anderson Transport, said that drivers just wanted to be paid their worth. “We earn a small basic salary and then get paid a few cents per kilometre, but we spend long periods away from home.” Another driver claims that some companies do not pay their workers any benefits and that if any damage is done to a truck, they have to pay for it themselves. Talks between union representatives and the Road Freight Employers’ Association are expected to commence this week.
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