Transport crisis

[caption id="attachment_101817" align="alignright" width="192"] Sicelo Duze[/caption]

Crippling bus strike to start in Bay today

TENS of thousands of Nelson Mandela Bay commuters will be left stranded today when Algoa Bus Company employees go on strike.

Yesterday, the company said services would be suspended from 10am today – after the first shift.

It said the length of the strike – at this stage – was indefinite.

SA Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (Satawu) provincial secretary Honest Sinama said from East London last night that Satawu members would be joining colleagues affiliated to other unions in the strike action.

He said the company had failed to honour various agreements struck with employees through the collective bargaining process.

Employees also had problems with certain employment conditions and the company’s death benefits policy.

Sinama said the union was calling for the removal of Algoa Bus Company chief executive Sicelo Duze on the grounds that he was not fulfilling his mandate in heading the operation and had been at the helm for “far too long”.

“We are aware that the company intends to stage a lockout of workers. We will, however, be abiding by the law – we are not juveniles,” he said.

“We will take the strike day by day and take action accordingly.

“We will continue to strike until the chief executive leaves the company.”

Port Elizabeth police spokeswoman Captain Sandra Janse van Rensburg said police were aware of the impending strike and suspension of bus services.

-Shaun Gillham