Road freight sector wage negotiations officially commence today, with unions tabling an 18% across-the-board wage demand and calling for clearer policy on the employment of foreign nationals.
South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) general secretary Jack Mazibuko told Freight News that the demands had been presented to employers.
A critical focus for organised labour would be establishing structured guidelines to streamline the bargaining process and avoid protracted disputes, Mazibuko said.
“The employers have tabled their demands before unions. As organised labour, we are optimistic that we will have meaningful negotiations starting from [this] morning,” he said.
“The parties have agreed to sign a wage protocol agreement that clearly stipulates the duration of negotiations, and from the first round of negotiations the facilitator will assist parties to fast-track the progress,” he said.
Mazibuko said the deliberations were taking place under constrained macroeconomic conditions.
“These negotiations come into effect at a time when the country is facing many economic difficulties, including political instability. However, as parties, we owe it to our members to make sure that they are not affected negatively,” he said.
Road Freight Association (RFA) CEO Gavin Kelly confirmed to Freight News that wage negotiations were commencing as scheduled.
Road freight labour relations specialist, Magretia Brown-Engelbrecht, said at the recent RFA Convention that the sector had maintained relative wage stability for the past 15 years.
However, she issued a warning to delegates that maintaining this peaceful legacy would require navigating a highly complex economic balance, as both labour expectations and operational sustainability faced unprecedented strain.
Foreign nationals
The urgency surrounding the policy on foreign nationals has been further intensified by recent civil unrest. On Monday, protesters marched on a logistics company in Boksburg to demand the dismissal of foreign workers, News24 reported.
The demonstration followed a national address delivered by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday, in which he said South Africa would “adopt a firm but fair approach to migration”.
The transport sector has been identified as an area “requiring intervention”.
Ramaphosa said government was implementing a plan developed with the logistics and freight industry, as well as labour organisations, to address violations of immigration and labour laws in the sector.
As part of government’s Comprehensive Approach to Migration Management, authorities would intensify inspections of companies employing undocumented foreign nationals, Ramaphosa said.
The inspections would be carried out by the police, Home Affairs and the Department of Employment and Labour, which would also recruit 10 000 inspectors during the current financial year.
Government had also finalised the National Labour Migration Policy, which proposes quotas for documented foreign nationals and measures against employers who hire undocumented workers.
Government also planned tougher penalties, including imprisonment, for employers who violate the Immigration Act.
Ramaphosa said authorities could no longer allow employers found guilty of breaking the law to “simply pay a fine” and continue exploiting undocumented workers.
