[EN-SEA] South Africa's Transport Strike In For Long Pull

SOUTH AFRICA's United Transport and Allied Trade Union (UTATA) and the South Africa Transport and Allied Workers' Union (SATAWU) will see help the big labour federation, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (CSATU), after the employer, the state-run logistics giant Transnet, said would not budge from its last wage offer, leaving the country's strike-bound railways and harbours at a near standstill.

According to Maersk unit Safmarine, cargo-handling work is still taking place on selected vessels in the ports, including Lars Maersk in Durban, but gates remain closed. Gates were also closed at Cape Town though cargo is entering and leaving Port Elizabeth.

Meanwhile several carriers, including Hamburg Sud, have dropped South Africa from their schedules, reports London's Containerisation International.

SATAWU deputy president Robert Mashego told the Johannesburg Times that intervention by the big labour federation, and even the ruling African National Congress (ANC) would help correct a public misperception about the striking unions.

"People do not have a proper understanding of what the real issue is and they do not understand why we refuse to take the offer. COSATU [labour federation], and even the ANC, can help us publicise the problem," said Mr Mashego.

The two big unions started out with a 15 per cent cross the board wage demand for its workers who operate the railways and the ports for the state-controlled Transnet.

Transnet started with an eight per cent offer, then upped it to 11 per cent. Negotiators for the smaller union accepted it while the larger insisted on 15 per cent.

But soon the smaller union's membership rejected the 11 per cent and joined the other union's demand for 15 per cent.

In subsequent talks, the unions offered to bring the demand down to 13 per cent, but Transnet continued to hold to its last offer of 11 per cent.

Source : HKSG, 19.05.10.