The Commission for Conciliation Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) is expected to present a revised salary offer to the United National Transport Union (Untu) on Monday in a bid to break its wage deadlock with Transnet and avoid a crippling strike across the country’s ports and rail operations.
Should no revised offer be forthcoming, Untu would issue Transnet with a 48-hour notice of industrial action and workers would down tools on Thursday, the union’s general secretary, Cobus van Vuuren, said on Monday.
He said the three-day CCMA intervention under section 150 of the Labour Relations Act last week had failed to break the impasse over Transnet’s latest 2025/26 wage offer and that the status quo remained in terms of the deadlock.
The process concluded on Thursday without the parties reaching consensus on a revised salary/wage increase offer.
“Untu participated in the S150 process in good faith, fully committed to securing a fair and sustainable outcome amid the rising cost of living and the ongoing operational and structural challenges facing Transnet,” Van Vuuren said.
“Throughout the process, Untu tabled a variety of salary/wage proposals for Transnet’s consideration, proposals which we are confident were in line with the economic and financial pressures facing our members, with a high emphasis on job security while at the same time paying due cognisance to the challenges Transnet faces.”
However, he said he could not disclose the proposals at this stage because of the confidential nature of the S150 process.
A Section 150 process is a provision under the South African Labour Relations Act (LRA) that allows the CCMA to intervene in labour disputes where the director of the CCMA appoints a commissioner to facilitate conciliation, potentially even without the parties' consent if it is in the public interest.
“These proposals, however, prioritised labour stability, job security and the sustainability of Transnet; we had hoped that Transnet and its mandate-givers would seriously consider these proposals, particularly given the potential economic impact of industrial action and the value of securing a longer-term agreement securing labour peace during this critical time in Transnet’s turnaround into a sustainable self-funded entity,” he added.
“The resolution of the deadlock now rests with the CCMA, which has committed to present a revised salary/wage offer by close of business on Monday, 19 May 2025. Should no revised offer be forthcoming, Untu will issue Transnet with a 48-hour notice of industrial action.
“This could potentially result in industrial action commencing on Thursday, 22 May 2025, in line with the overwhelming mandate secured from its members. Untu has made the necessary logistical preparations to ensure our readiness for industrial action.”
He said if the union received a revised salary offer, it would begin a structured mandating process to determine whether members accepted or rejected it.
Untu earlier rejected Transnet’s final offer of a 6% wage increase in 2025 and 2026, followed by 5.5% in 2027. It also rejected the offer because it did not have a clause promising that there would be no retrenchments for the duration of the agreement.
