It’s Wednesday, a day transporters in South Africa under the aegis of SANTACO would have gone on strike. But the transport workers are not striking as originally planned.
When the Cape Town authorities caught the news of the impending strike by the transport workers, they scrambled to reach an agreement that would keep the vehicles on the road and the economy going as usual. The effort paid off ultimately, as the transport workers union communicated with its members not to go ahead with the strike.
The SANTACO had initially wanted to strike on several grounds, including harassment of its members as they try to get their driving permits. Local authorities, from the premier right down to the transport MEC, had reached out to the transport workers to ensure they don’t strike, while also promising to address the issues affecting the transport workers.
The negotiations paid off, ultimately, as SANTACO’s executive committee said the strike would be called off as a result of the progress made in the meeting with the authorities. The statement also serves as a notice to operators, drivers and commuters that taxi services would be available.
This is but one of several times when the transport workers have threatened strike for one reason or the other.
