The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) convened an urgent facilitated session to confront the ongoing salary and wage dispute between the United National Transport Union (Untu) and Transnet at the Transnet Bargaining Council (TBC) last week.
The process is expected to continue with additional sessions on Wednesday, May 14, and Thursday, May 15.
This was after the CCMA launched an urgent Section 150 intervention in a bid to resolve the deadlock. 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.
Untu General Secretary Cobus van Vuuren said the CCMA’s Section 150 intervention was “a last-resort effort to avoid industrial action” by its members, following the deadlock in negotiations.
“Recognising the strategic economic importance of Transnet and the potentially devastating impact of industrial action, the CCMA, in its role as South Africa’s primary dispute resolution body, called on both parties to engage in a facilitated process with the aim of finding a resolution to the current impasse,” Van Vuuren said.
“The conciliation was presided over by two senior CCMA Commissioners, who reiterated the public interest at stake and the urgency of a resolution.”
He said the union’s negotiating team had participated in the session both in person at the bargaining council and virtually, “demonstrating a united front in our pursuit of job security and a fair wage increase that reflects the economic hardships faced by Transnet workers and the broader working class”.
“Untu tabled a range of wage/salary proposals during the session, which we believe warrant consultation with our members to obtain a clear mandate,” Van Vuuren said.
He added that Transnet’s management team had committed to referring the proposals to its own hierarchy.
“While we are unable to disclose specific details of the proposals due to the confidential nature of the process, Untu is confident that what is currently on the table reflects the best interests of our members, with a strong emphasis on securing jobs and ensuring wage increases are aligned with the economic realities our members face,” he said.
“We remain hopeful that Transnet will give due consideration to these wage proposals, helping to avert industrial action that could further destabilise an already fragile economy.”
He added that the union’s balloting process remained active and would continue as scheduled.
“The process has gained significant momentum, with mobilisation efforts intensifying across all regions to ensure that we are fully prepared, should it become necessary to take the fight to the streets.”
The CCMA’s intervention comes after Untu filed a mutual interest dispute with the council after reaching a deadlock during wage negotiations.
The union rejected the employer’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.
