The strike by Transnet workers entered its fourth day on Tuesday after a mediation process at the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) failed to reach a resolution.
The talks, which Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi also addressed, were aimed at ending the salary dispute between Transnet and its workers.
The strike has brought operations at the country's ports including Cape Town to a standstill, raising fears among businesses of a major setback to the country's economy, which is still feeling the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The session started around 10am on Monday, 10 October and ended at 7am on Tuesday. The parties tried to get closer together but could not find common ground,” said United National Transport Union (UNTU) general secretary Cobus van Vuuren.
He said the parties would now reconvene at the Bargaining Council on Wednesday to try find an amicable solution.
“We hope that Transnet will come back with an offer that is reasonable and aligned at the very least to the increased cost of living and the Consumer Price Index (CPI) of 7.6%. We cannot stand by and watch our members get more and more impoverished.”
Transnet is currently offering salary increases ranging between 4.25 % and 5%, and a 1% increase in medical aid and housing allowances.
Organised labour organisations UNTU and the South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu), which joined the strike action on Monday, are demanding that Transnet revise its offer as it was “way below the unions’ mandate and the 7.6% CPI”.
“The 1% increase on the medical aid and housing allowances equates to R15.97 a month. You can barely buy bread with that amount,“ said Van Vuuren.
Though it was not clear how many employees were on strike, Van Vuuren said of the 40 000 Transnet employees, UNTU represented about 54% and Satawu 27% of the workforce.
Van Vuuren said while the union acknowledged that the strike action placed pressure on the country’s economy, employees also deserved a “liveable” increase.
Satawu’s general secretary Jack Mazibuko rejected the “so-called” revised wage offer by Transnet and said employees wanted nothing less than a “two-digit” increase.
“We hope that Transnet will improve its offer. Until they do, operations at all ports will continue to be impacted,” he said.
Transnet spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said the parties were willing to find a solution and were considering alternative proposals.
Shezi also confirmed the planned negotiations on October 12.